Family and Friends
by Xandoria DuUrden
Summary: Ana Amari and Angela Zeigler consider other members not just as friends, but as family. As Talon will soon find out, you don't mess with their family. 4th of Overwatch Stories
1. Children?

Angela gaped in confusion as she stared out the window at the strange Brazilian. *Why is there a child anywhere nearby?* When Lucio came in, she barely heard him apologize for rushing off.

"Of course." She noticed the Brazilian texting someone, then waving through the window. Turning to ask Lucio about him, she saw the man waving back, just as surprised as her. Lucio disappeared. She saw him hug the stranger outside of the window, then realized it must be Locarno. *That explains why Lucio was so worried about him: they're related in some way…siblings, maybe?* She continued on with trying to organize her files. Some were torn, some were scattered across the entire complex, and others she had managed to save only to lose them in her active patient files. *No respect at all for patient-doctor privilege!* She thought angrily, filing them away slowly until Lucio returned. *That's more than 2 footsteps.* She turned to see 5 people in total. She recognized one instantly, though she hadn't seen the girl in almost 14 years when she was 3. *Alice?!* She noticed there were a set of twins as well, and knew instantly who were their parents based solely on the boy's annoyed look and the girl's blank stare. *Reaper and Widow…* She asked, taking in the children's state,

"Lucio, could you get Gabriel and Jack? And if you can find her, Widow? I'll patch them up." Lucio nodded, locking eyes with Locarno.

"I want this story when I get back."

"Got it, pops." Angela barely concealed her shock. *Locarno is full-grown, and Lucio is only 36, yet he is his son? Focus on patching them up, Angela.* She checked the boy twin first, noting the splinted arm.

"Did you splint this?"

"No, Locarno did. His father taught him." Angela distinctly heard jealousy in the boy's voice. *Of course, Gabriel wasn't there to raise them.*

"Stay still: I'll cast it after I check everyone else." The girl twin was fine other than being exhausted. Alice was just dehydrated, and Locarno was in perfect health. She began patching the boy's arm quickly. "What are your names?"

"Arach, Mortica, Alice, and I'm Locarno." Locarno introduced. Angela smiled politely. *Arach was likely Widow's choice of name, and Mortica was likely Gabriel. He always did like names with dark meanings.*

"You are fine, Mortica. It will heal shortly, and it was set correctly, Arach. You are dehydrated: there is water in the fridge, Alice. And it's rare to see someone in such good health physically, Locarno."

"I try." Lucio appeared, sitting across from the kids calmly.

"Okay, Locarno. What's the story?" Locarno took a deep breath.

"So, I was kidnapped from Brazil to…New York?"

"Yes." Alice affirmed, taking slow sips of water. *He's Brazilian, and the twins sound like they are from Northern New Mexico. Alice sounds like she's from Indiana.*

"I managed to get away there, tossing my cell."

"How'd they find you anyways?" Lucio questioned. Locarno shrugged.

"Climbing buddy told them. So, I was trying to stay away from those people. Don't even know what they wanted: all they said was asking me about your cell number. I saw a car with the same license thing, figured it was some other kidnapped person." Alice said, grumbling,

"It was me. Should've known about the circumstance…" *Most likely. Both of her parents would have warned her about this kind of situation.*

"Well, I got her out: she's not bad at fighting, I'll tell you that." *She wouldn't be, considering her family.* "Then she pointed out another car." Arach raised his hand.

"That was sis and me." Alice explained,

"I saw their car at a gas stop: the drivers were talking to each other, so I figured it was connected."

"So we got them out: Arach's arm got broken. I stole a car: I know you told me that's bad, but it was an emergency, and Mortica got us out of New York." *So that's why Lucio seemed nervous about everyone finding out about Locarno: he's a theif.* "Alice knew about a pretty safe area over here, so we started heading this way. She told all of us about Overwatch, and I remembered hearing on the news you joined a resistance group, and the pieces clicked. We've been heading here for…"

"3 months." Soldier and Reaper entered the room, both looking surprised. Angela could hear a quick inhale from Gabriel as he looked at the twins, but he said nothing, just staring at them.

"Alice, what are you doing? Where's your mom?" Alice's face warped into one of complete shock, then one of hurt as Jack grasped her shoulders lightly. She pulled away, her face in one of horror.

"Dad, you're alive?!" *He didn't tell his own family?* Reaper stayed silent, just watching the twins. Lucio seemed just as uncomfortable with the silence as the twins themselves.

"…What?" Arach asked defensively. He turned on his heel and walked away, saying,

"Happy birthday, Arach. Happy birthday, Mortica." The twins stared after him, as did Angela. *How did he know about their birthdays if he wasn't around them? That seems odd.* Angela waited a few minutes, the silence deafening. No one offered an explanation, and Angela didn't expect one. Alice was just staring at her father. Finally, Lucio said,

"Um…What do we do?"

"…I don't know." Jack admitted, backing away from his daughter. Angela took over, saying briskly,

"We are not sending them away. They walked from New York, and have the physical evidence to support that. Lucio, would you show them to some rooms? We can figure out the details later."

"Sure, Angela. Come on." The suspicious but tired kids walked with the friendly musician, and Angela looked at Jack, disappointment showing.

"You didn't tell your wife."

"How could I? I'd been dead for 5 years by the time I found where they had moved. I wasn't about to put Patricia through that again, not when I would be gone for so long doing what I had to." Jack sighed, sounding just as upset as Angela was.

"Not even your own family, Jack. I wish I could say I was surprised. We'll talk about what to do later. Right now, they need to sleep, and you need to tell the others about this." She didn't give an option: the secrets were out of hand already: children weren't about to push it over the edge.


	2. Soldiers

3 years ago: Ana rubbed her eyes as night fell. She couldn't get the image of Gabe's rage-filled eyes and burned face out of her mind. Jack had set up camp a few miles out of the city. She had discovered it several days ago, but hadn't expected him to come out, firing wildly like some kind of hooligan. *I thought Reinhardt taught him better.* She sighed, helping Jack get to it. Even though her medicine helped the healing process, he would still need stitches, and couldn't walk straight after getting shot in the back.

"What were you thinking, Jack?"

"I was looking for you." Ana shook her head in embarrassment. *I trained him better than to lie to me.*

"I know, but you went into a Talon compound alone. What did you expect to happen?"

"Maybe take down Gabe, maybe get intel. Don't know, really." He shrugged, wincing as the pain surfaced again.

"So you've been fighting a one man war." Ana observed, setting Jack down, with his back facing her.

"I can't ask anyone else to fight it."

"You said you wanted to recruit me." Ana chuckled.

"Yeah. I wanted to know if you knew anything about Talon." Ana sighed.

"So it wasn't recruiting: it was information gathering. You can't do this alone, Jack." Ana stated.

"I can't do it with anyone else, Ana." Jack went to stand up, but Ana pushed him back down.

"You were shot in the back. You're not moving until I finish giving you stitches."

"It wasn't the first time." Jack stated, but sat down in defeat.

"It is literally. I didn't even know he was alive…" Ana whispered, seeing the damage the wraith had done. Jack growled,

"He's not. Gabbi died in the explosion he caused." *There he goes again, blaming Gabriel for something there is no way he caused. No member of Blackwatch had that level of skills in explosives, and Gabriel hated explosives: he called them sloppy.*

"That may be true, but whatever Reaper is, he has Gabriel's skills, and is better. You can't take him on alone, much less the entirety of Talon."

"I have to."

"No, you don't." Ana sighed, finishing her stitching. "I doubt you still have your communicator, but a call went out several years ago-"

"I do, and I heard it. Overwatch failed before. It will do so again." Ana looked at the soldier in surprise. *He used to believe in it so much…* She straightened herself, starting a fire.

"Lay down: you don't want your back to lock up hunched over. It was your feud with Gabriel that caused Overwatch to collapse." Jack began to protest, but Ana raised a hand. "I don't want to argue. You are not in command anymore." She added mentally, *You're too close to this to think rationally right now.* He chuckled.

"Who is? You? Reinhardt?" Ana openly laughed, setting a pot of water over the fire.

"Not a chance. I'm retired, as he will be soon." Jack laughed as well.

"You've retired 3 times, and he won't unless it's forced out of him."

"True, but we are not in command. Winston currently is." Jack frowned, trying to remember who that was.

"…The scientist from the moon? The one that made the…chrono-thing for Oxten?"

"Yes. He tries his best. Lena Oxten is there, as well as me and Reinhardt. Bridgette Lindholm is also involved."

"…Torbjorn's wife?" Jack asked, confused.

"Oldest daughter, not wife." Ana corrected.

"Oh, the one that always hung around with Rein." Jack recalled.

"Yes. Angela is there, as well as Mei-Ling Zhou."

"She's alive?" He questioned.

"Yes. A Russian woman named Zarya helped her get here, and joined as well."

"I don't recognize that name." Jack stated, frowning.

"She wasn't a member, but joined because of Mei."

"Ah."

"The world changed. Overwatch had to, as well." Ana added tea leaves to the water, looking at Jack. "Please, Jack. They are children who need help." Jack shook his head, sighing.

"I'm not a hero, Ana. Not anymore." Ana scoffed.

"Heroes. Is that what you think the world needs? No. It needs soldiers, people who know what to do in hard situations, who are willing to make those decisions. The others are willing, and more than capable, but they don't know what they are doing. You do." Jack sighed.

"…I don't know, Ana. I haven't worked with a team in 12 years."

"Neither had I, but they need you." She poured a cup of tea, offering Jack some. He took it, sitting up.

"…Do they know I'm alive?"

"Reinhardt does, but the others do not. I didn't know how to tell them."

"…Does Patricia?" Ana shook her head.

"No. How could I tell them that and explain why you haven't visited them in 12 years, or at least haven't let them see you in so long when I'm dead myself?" She took a quiet sip of tea.

"Yeah…it's better to just let them think I'm dead." Jack sighed, sipping some tea. "Does Pharah know you're alive?"

"Yes, but we haven't spoken in a few years. Being dead tends to put a limit of child visitation." Jack nodded in understanding. "…Jack."

"Old soldiers are hard to kill, but easy to cut off." Ana patted his shoulder.

"Only if they choose to be." He took a deep breath.

"Where are you all staying?"

"Watchpoint Gibraltar, though Winston is thinking of changing locations soon."

"That point has been the most active of them all: Winston chose to stay there after everything was shut down. A sudden increase of power with so many recruits is going to draw attention that we don't want."

"We?" Ana asked, making sure that it meant Soldier was in.

"Yeah. I'll join. You're right: I need you all, and apparently, you all need me. We'll need a spot we can train everyone, keep them at the top of their skills without drawing a lot of attention."

"You'll need to talk to Winston: he knows the Overwatch bases better than anyone else but…" Ana cut herself off. *Gabriel.* Jack sighed.

"I know, but we need to work with who we've gotten. And 9 people isn't nearly enough to take down an organization like Talon. We need to start getting more people, as many as we can convince."

"It's good to have you back." Ana stated, smiling lightly.


	3. Unsure

Angela walked down to the wing Lucio had set the 4 kids up in. "How are they handling everything?"

"Alice and Locarno seem okay, but the other two are freaking out. I know the twins are Reaper's kids, but how did he know their birthdays? And is today really their birthday?"

"I have no idea. I didn't even know Gabriel had children." Angela sighed. Lucio frowned.

"So, Commander Morrison has a daughter?"

"Yes, but I haven't seen her in years. I'll try to calm them down after I talk to the commanders."

"Okay. I'm going to tell everyone else about this. That okay?"

"Jack was supposed to have told them already, but go ahead. I'm not sure he will if we don't push." Lucio nodded in understanding, racing off. Angela knocked on Morrison's office. "Jack? Are you in here?" Reaper came out, adjusting his mask.

"Jack's probably in the training room."

"…Why were you in his office?" Reaper growled, but didn't reply. It clicked. *He wanted privacy, and rarely anyone knocks on Jack's door on a Saturday.* "Gabriel-" Angela reached for his shoulder, realizing why, but Gabriel jerked away from her grasp.

"Don't." He walked away, and Angela pulled her hand closer.

"We need to have a conversation about what we're going to do." Reaper paused at her call, and turned to face her. He didn't say anything, and Angela took it as a 'yes' to talk. "We need to get Jack, too." Reaper growled, but didn't protest, entering Jack's office again. As the wraith had predicted, Jack was in the locked training room. Angela glanced at the level he was training at: Level 30. "Athena, please pause the program."

"Of course." The sounds stopped, and Jack exited the room.

"What, Angela?"

"We need to have a talk about what we're going to do with this."

"…Alright." Jack led the way to his office, where Reaper was standing to the side. Angela firmly closed the door, and Jack said, "We can't let them stay."

"What?" Reaper stated, sounding surprised.

"It's dangerous here, and we already have 16 people staying, which is about to become 17. If we add 4 to that, the police force will find us in a second."

"Talon found all of them scattered around the Americas. Where can we hide them safely?" Reaper questioned, sounding frustrated or concerned: Angela couldn't tell.

"I…don't know, but we can't let them stay here." Jack admitted, rubbing his head.

"This is as safe a place as we could find for them." Angela inputted, for once agreeing with Reaper.

"Angela-" Jack sighed, hands starting to clasp behind his back

"Don't even try the commander tone with me, Jack." Angela warned. Reaper uncrossed his arms for once, them dropping to his sides.

"We should ask Ana. She'd know." Angela sighed.

"She's still looking for Genji. One of her contacts heard a rumor about a cyborg in Illios."

"And she maintains complete radio silence until she's done." Jack sighed, rubbing his forehead. "I have no idea what to do…alright, they can stay, but no one tell them what's going on. It's the best bet to keep them out of harm's way." Jack conceded.

"More secrets." Angela sighed in annoyance.

"Angela, it's the best option."

"I realize that, but eventually, this secrets will catch up, and I'm worried that you will get burned. Gabriel, how did you know their birthdays?" Reaper scoffed.

"You think I'd leave them like my dad did me?"

"Oh, I'm-"

"Don't apologize." He hissed, walking out. Jack frowned.

"His dad left?" Angela nodded, looking after the wraith.

"Yes, but I'm not sure when. What started that fight you had a few days ago?"

"…I went too far." Jack sighed. "I think he's over it, but I need to work a few things out right now, and I could use some time."

"Oh? What do you need to work out?"

"There's only 14 workable quarters: the others aren't available for various reasons, and we haven't gotten around to fixing them." Angela did some quick math.

"There's 21 people staying currently." Jack nodded, sighing as he sat down.

"Roadhog and Junkrat-"

"Jamison and Mako. He asked us to call them that." Angela reminded.

"Right. They're already sharing a room. I swear Mako's Jamison's dad." Jack muttered to himself. "We need to minimize the moving around, so I'm just going to double everyone up."

"That's reasonable. Changing rooms tends to cause issues."

"…Would you be okay with sharing a room with Hana Song?"

"As long as she minimizes the late-night streaming, I'm okay with that." Angela stated, swirling her thumbs.

"You have other stuff to do. I can handle this."

"Are you sure?" Angela asked, not wanting to leave Jack alone after what had just happened.

"Yes. Go on." Angela nodded, walking towards the kid's rooms. She heard quiet arguing in the room.

"How do we know they aren't working with that lady?" Arach hissed.

"Pops wouldn't do that: he hates terrorists." Locarno stated with certainty.

"A few years ago, I would agree with Locarno, but now…" Alice wandered off. Angela knocked politely. Who she assumed was the girl twin said,

"Come in." Angela did with a small smile.

"Guten Tag. I was coming to check on how you were all feeling."

"I'm fine." Arach stated. Mortica shrugged. Locarno gave a thumbs up, and Alice just looked at the ground. Angela's smile faded.

"I'm a doctor. You can't lie very well to me."

"…They think you're in league with the guys who took us."

"Nein, we are not with them. They're called Talon, and we're trying to stop them." Arach looked Angela right in the eyes.

"We're young, not stupid. What's going on?"

"…I wish I could tell you more than that, but I'm under orders." Angela explained. Alice nodded in understanding, while the other 3 seemed more annoyed than ever.

"Okay, so his father is in Overwatch, her father is in Overwatch. Why did they go after us?" Arach asked bluntly. Angela hesitated, not knowing what to say.

"…I don't know for certain." She knew it was a lie: so did the kids. "Try to rest." She left the room, taking a deep breath as she headed to her office.


	4. Sentimental Value

Ana had scanned the building tops, the windows, and the city streets for days: nothing regarding Genji ever appeared. She'd been looking for him in Illios for 2 weeks. She finally contacted Jack.

"He's not here. I asked a few others, but the rumor was just that."

"That's fine. We have a situation here, and I need you to come back, anyways."

"What happened?"

"Alice is here, and Gabe's twins, with Locarno, Lucio's son." Ana cursed in Arabic.

"I'll be at the evac point as soon as I can." She was there in 20 minutes, and Lena was already there. Ana was in the cockpit in a flash, and they were in the air in less than a minute.

"I didn't know Commander Morrison had a daughter…" Lena began.

"She was only 3 when he was declared deceased. He didn't tell anyone: I only know because I watched his funeral, and Angela knows because she was there." Ana explained.

"And Reaper's kids, as in plural?" Lena asked, clearly confused as to how that was even possible.

"Most likely very long story I don't know." Ana admitted. "He never mentioned them to me, and until you mentioned them, I didn't know he even had a relationship with Widow."

"…I never mentioned that." Lena stated. Ana chuckled.

"I knew they were close, but not like that." *I don't think anyone knew they were that close.* "Widow is the only one it would make any sense with."

"That's true, I suppose. They were teammates." *In more ways than you know.* The rest of the flight passed in silence, and Ana was off in an instant, going straight to Jack's office. She didn't knock, knowing both Reaper and Jack would be inside. She was correct.

"So, what's the plan with the children?"

"Right now, we're keeping them as much in the dark as we can, and trying to keep a distance." Ana looked at Jack in shock.

"And you think that will work? Have you never worked with a child before?"

"I worked with Pharah." He shrugged. *That girl had both of them wrapped around her pinky finger.*

"And did you keep her in the dark?"

"Yes." Reaper scoffed.

"That's why she liked me handling her better." Jack looked offended, but Ana stated

"It's true. Speaking of Fareeha, she requested semi-permanent leave from Helix. If she receives it, she'll join. If not, she won't, but we have 4 children to handle right now. They are curious, and not as clueless as they would have you to believe. Alice would be…17, right?"

"Next month." Jack stated, starting to pace.

"And Locarno?"

"18, pretty recently, I'm guessing." Reaper stated, cracking his knuckles. It seemed slower than usual, but Ana didn't question it. "My twins are 10 as of yesterday." He answered the unasked question.

"So two of them are less than 2 years from being adults, even if you don't want to admit it. They are old enough to make their own decisions in any case. Tell them the truth, and let them decide what do to."

"And the twins?" Jack asked.

"If they are anything like their parents-"

"S***, I hope not." Reaper grumbled under his breath.

"If they are, they're mature enough to make a decision. Tell them the truth, let them decide what they want to do, and make sure you let them do that." Jack nodded, but Ana could tell he had reservations about the idea. Reaper didn't even respond. "Gabriel, does Amelie know they are here?"

"No. She was in the firing range, and I don't talk to her there."

"I'll handle it, then. Now, figure out how you are going to explain it without terrifying them: either Angela or I will be supervising." Ana warned.

"Yes, ma'am." Reaper just shrugged. Ana walked out, towards the firing range. She found Amelie loading, firing, and reloading away. She had 4 targets lined up right behind each other, and there was only one hole as 48 shell cases were on the ground. *Wow. She actually improved.*

"Amelie." Widow just glanced, continuing to fire right into the center.

"Ana Amari." She replied coolly. Her breathing was even, eye never wavering off of the target.

"It seems I was lucky."

"Oui." *That's why she's being cold: she's frustrated I survived.*

"How many weren't so lucky?" Amelie stopped firing, looking at Ana.

"I don't count." Ana looked over the stone-hard killer.

"…What did they do to you?"

"Make a remorseless killer who never hesitates." She paused. "Non, you taught me that. You forgot your own rule." Ana bit back a sharp response, knowing it wouldn't even affect the woman.

"I wasn't expecting you. You killed 4 good people that day." Widow began picking up the shells.

"It doesn't matter what's at the end of the scope: a target or a being." Ana felt her stomach churn. *I can't believe this is the same woman I helped train.* She stated as simply as she could, horrorstruck,

"Gerald was a fool to love you." She could have sworn the killer's face begin to change expression, then freeze in place as she disassembled her gun.

"You didn't know him that well." She began to walk out, and Ana said,

"Your children are here. You should talk to them."

"Why is that?" Ana paused.

"…They are your children."

"Oui, but I am not their mother." Ana watched the woman disappear, glued into place by her last words. *How can anyone be so heartless as to just not care?* She began walking around, wandering wherever her feet took her in the base, and she paused at Reaper's room. *He's always inside here, Jack's office, or the training room…* She opened the door, and saw standard military quarters: no personal effects or even a book. There was only a single dresser out of place with one of the drawers broken. *That is bizarre…*

"What, Ana?" She turned, slamming her fist into Reaper's jaw. Her fist went right through, and she retracted. He solidized again. "What?"

"…Do you really not have anything personal in your own room?" He opened the broken drawer, pulling out a way too big sweater. "…I gave you that when I first learned to knit…"

"Your stitching is still awful: too tight or too loose." He chided, putting the sweater away. *I can't believe he kept it.*


	5. Decisions

Angela was still straightening her files when Jamison burst in, looking slightly panicked. "…Guten tag?"

"You got a knife?" He asked quickly, making Angela pause.

"…Why do you want a knife?"

"Do you got one?" Angela shook her head, confused.

"No, I don't…" Jamison cursed, racing off. Angela grasped a pair of scissors and followed him, curious as to why he wanted a knife. He was very fast, and Angela lost sight of him as he entered the cafeteria. He charged back out, with a butter knife in his hand. He almost hit Angela, and he raced off as Angela regained her balance, shouting,

"Sorry, Angel!" Angela recovered, following the thumps sounding down the halls. She found him enter his room, leaving the door open. "Got one, mate!" Angela peered inside to seeing a wheezing Roadhog and Jamison cutting at his mask. *That's a panic attack.*

"Jamison, stop." The Junker looked at her in surprise as Angela took the scissors to the mask, cutting it cleanly. She didn't have a chance to take in Mako's actual face, hearing him begin coughing harshly. "Does he have asthma?"

"As my what?" Jamison asked.

"Asthma: it's a medical issue!" She explained quickly and calmly, worried for the mammoth. Mako nodded slowly, still coughing harshly and gasping for breath. "Okay. Does he have any…" she tried to think of a term Jamison would understand. "…breathing aids?"

"Sometimes: he ran out a few days ago." Jamison held up a large container of oxygen in demonstration as Angela placed her hand on Mako's back, patting lightly as he continued coughing.

"Okay. Listen closely: I have a drawer of inhalers-devices like that. Top drawer, all the way in the far, right corner. Bring the orange one here, as quickly as you can."

"Um, which is the right one?" He asked. *We don't have time for this!* She glanced at his metal hand.

"Your metal hand is the right one." Jamison raced off without another word. "Let's hope your friend is fast, Mako." Angela carefully took in the objects around his room: Nothing would have caused such a strong reaction. Jamison came back within 45 seconds, and Angela helped Mako inhale the medicine.

"What's that?"

"It's medicine to help him breathe. Why didn't you tell me he had asthma, or that he ran out of medicine?" Angela questioned. She heard a stranger's voice say,

"I didn't tell him." She looked at Mako in surprise.

"…You can talk?" Jamison frowned, confused.

"Course he can. Why wouldn't he be able to?" Mako seemed much less surprised, taking deep breaths.

"…Most people can't hear me because of the mask, Jamie. Sorry for worrying you." Jamison shrugged.

"Haven't you ever heard of Asthma?"

"No. Should I have?" He asked honestly. Angela looked at him in surprise.

"…It's one of the most common medical issues in existence, though not as fatal as other bronchial issues." Jamison frowned.

"…That some kind of weapon or something?" Mako explained, finally breathing regularly,

"It's a medical term, like…TNT?"

"Trinitrotoluene." Jamison corrected. Angela frowned.

"…What is that?" Jamison looked as if Angela had asked him to explain how breathing works. "…Never mind. I was wondering if I could give you both a checkup."

"A what?" Jamison asked.

"I'll explain later. Would tomorrow work?" Mako answered for them.

"Ja, it would. Danke."

"You're welcome, and thank you." Angela smiled.

"Yeah, thanks for saving my friend, Angel!"

"My name is Angela." She stated, leaving the room. She took a deep breath, then headed to the kids' rooms, where she had agreed to meet Jack to explain everything. He was sitting on one of the kid's beds, silent as all 4 children stared at him in expectation. "Sorry I'm late, there was a medical emergency."

"It's fine." He stated.

"So what's the deal?" Locarno asked casually. Jack paused, then said,

"I telling you everything and letting you decide what to do. We're fighting a dangerous enemy called Talon. They took you 4 to manipulate us."

"Yeah, right." Arach scoffed. Mortica said nervously,

"Arach, let him finish."

"Who'd care, sis? We're left in an orphanage, no one told us anything! Someone suddenly picks us up, and we're supposed to mean something to someone?! I don't buy it for a second." Angela didn't speak, not sure what to say. Arach was being fair: he had no idea if he meant to anyone: and all Angela knew was what she had heard based on Reaper's voice, which wasn't much since he always sounded annoyed or angry. Jack continued,

"…The point still remains that they took you to manipulate us. They kill anyone they want-"

"I know." Alice mumbled.

"…What?"

"They shot mom." Alice stated, looking at her fingernails. Jack froze, completely blank. "Right through the skull. I don't know who. I looked, but I didn't see anyone. I should never have gotten in the car." Jack had locked up, and Angela had no idea what to say, standing to the side as Jack just stared.

"…Um…we're trying to fight them, and…frankly, I don't know where you'll be safer: here or somewhere else." Angela managed to get out. Mortica spoke again,

"They found him in Brazil: her in Indiana: us in New Mexico. We can't hide if they found us all over the place." Arach grumbled,

"What good is hiding going to do? They killed her mom, convinced one of his buddies to turn on him, found us somehow. They'll find us no matter where we go, so I say we f*** them up instead."

"Where did you learn that language?" Angela asked in horror. Arach shrugged, scratching the back of his hand.

"Some teen at the orphanage used to say it all the time. Seemed like an appropriate use."

"It's not." Angela said sternly. Alice stayed silent, but Locarno said, eyebrows furrowed,

"I'm confused. What are you asking us exactly?"

"What do you want to do?"

"Want to do? I want to fight the people who tried to mess with pops!" Alice looked up.

"That's an option? I want to stick it to the terrorists."

"I mean, why not?" Arach shrugged. "I'd rather do anything than go back to that place." Mortica nodded in agreement.

"Well, it seems they reached a decision." Angela stated. Jack nodded.


	6. Crafts

Ana was up early in the morning. She grabbed her gun, and headed to the firing range. She past McCree reloading his own gun. "Early practice?"

"Only time the place is empty." He returned. "Lucio's already there, too." Ana paused mid-step, then stopped, facing Jessie. It had been several years since she had seen him, after all.

"Thank you, Jessie. How have you been doing?"

"Same old things, getting blamed for stuff I didn't do, trying to help folks." Ana chuckled.

"That seems to be a common issue with us. Where are you going now?"

"Oh, I was going to help Angela move in with Hana Song."

"…Move in with Hana?"

"Yeah, we were running out of stable rooms, so Morrison's making us get roommates."

"…Who is mine?"

"…I don't think you have one…no, wait, it's Bridgette."

"Oh. I'll talk to her later today about that. Thank you, Jessie. Maybe tomorrow morning, we can practice together?"

"I'd like that after so long, Miss Amari." Ana chuckled.

"Always the charmer. Have a good day, Jessie."

"You, too, ma'am." Ana entered the firing range calmly, and walked across the floor. She felt air brush past her skull, and looked up. A knife was right above her skull, her hat pinned to the wall.

"I'm so sorry, Ana!" Lucio shouted, racing over. "You okay?"

"I'm fine, though my hat is not." She said calmly, looking over to see a shocked teenager standing there.

"Sorry, old lady."

"Locarno!" Ana scowled, looking over the boy. "Sorry again, Ana."

"Who threw the knife?"

"Locarno. He's been practicing, and did improve…a little." She measured the distance between the target and her skull. *6 feet. The boy's stance is terrible, and no respect.* She pulled the knife out of the wall, inspecting it. It was well balanced, with the words 'no te rindas con sangre'. *Spanish.*

"…Where did you get this knife?"

"I found it in the cafeteria." Lucio explained. She smiled, knowing exactly who the knife belonged to. Se threw it, right over Locarno's head, by his side in a few steps. He froze, tensing up.

"I am old, but also experienced. I will not accept your disrespect, Locarno. Am I clear?" The boy nodded, nervous. She pulled the knife out of the wall, then stopped by Locarno. She separated his legs, bending his knees forcefully. "Try that stance, and keep your wrists loose. Good day, Lucio. Good luck, Locarno." She began to leave the room, then paused. "Athena, please move the targets to the other side. I don't want someone else to be less lucky than I was." She nodded to the others, and headed out, checking her hat for damages. *It needs stitches, and I ran out of thread a few months ago…maybe Gabriel kept up his hobby.* She walked right to Reaper's room, knocking quietly. There was no reply, so she opened the door. Reaper had his mask removed, as well as part of his left sleeve. His half-covered in black smoke, half-burned and scarred face still disturbed Ana, and his arm was paler than his natural skin, with purple and green bruises covering the arm. The most disturbing part was his arm had a large bulge in the center of the humorous bone, as if it was broken. He turned away from the door sharply, replacing his mask instantly.

"You should have knocked."

"I did…" She replied at his sharp tone.

"What do you want?" She offered the knife, and he took it slowly, putting it away in its sheaf.

"What does the inscription mean?"

"Don't give up with blood." Ana frowned.

"I've never heard of that analogy."

"It's a family one: don't give up with any blood left." She heard a low growl as he answered. She looked at his arm: he had grabbed the breaking point.

"Gabriel, what are you-" He snapped it back into its rightful place. "…You shouldn't have done that." He growled with a hint of pain,

"It's not the first time I've set them." Ana wanted very much to tell him to talk to Angela, but knew better.

"…Do you have some thread and a needle?" Gabriel paused.

"…Why?" Ana revealed her hat.

"Lucio was trying to train his son how to aim." Gabriel stood up, and Ana heard crackling and pops echo throughout the room. "…What was that?"

"Nothing." He pushed his dresser to the side, revealed a hole in the wall leading to a darkened room. Ana saw him turn on the light, but couldn't see very much of the inside. "Stay out of here. Sky blue, blue jay, navy blue…turquoise…ocean blue." He tossed over a small spool of blue thread, and came out with 2 needles, a spool of green thread, and a bundle of green fabric. "Just get them back when you're done."

"…What are you working on now?" She asked, taking a needle as he unraveled the bundle of fabric.

"Genji's birthday is next week."

"…You remember his birthday?"

"His, Jessie's, a few others." Gabriel shrugged, beginning to stitch calmly. Ana looked at the open, lit hole.

"Does anyone else know you have a hole in your wall to a craft room?"

"Sewing room, not craft. You, Jessie, Genji, and one other are everybody. Jack and Angela know I have one somewhere."

"I don't think Genji can wear clothes with the life support system."

"It's a hoodie: loose enough to not overheat him." He explained. Ana heard a hint of sorrow in his voice.

"…You miss them, don't you?" She asked, setting the sewing supplies to the side.

"No. Ingrates, both of them." He dismissed swiftly, sitting down on his bed.

"I was referring to Jack and Angela." She corrected gently.

"No." His voice went deep and gravelly, and Ana stopped pushing for answers about his emotions.

"It's okay to feel regret."

"Get out." He ordered. Ana didn't want to at all, but stood up in compliance.

"I'll bring them back later."

"…Thanks for the knife."

"Of course. Good day, G-" the door slammed in her face. "Gabriel."


	7. Memorial

Angela directed Jack, Alice, and Reaper to the graveyard hesitantly. The funeral for Patricia had already occurred, but she wanted them to say goodbye. She purposely avoided their own graves, but Reaper went right to his empty gravesite. Angela winced in memory of the funeral. She couldn't tell anyone Gabriel was alive: they would take him and experiment on him, or worse. She had to figure out how to fix her mistake alone. *That didn't work at all. He hates me now, and will never trust me again…* She took the quiet Soldier and his daughter to the gravestone. "I'll leave you two alone. I'm sorry." Jack nodded slightly, and Alice nodded firmly. She walked over to an old friend's grave: Lieutenant Holly Smith. She had to have a closed casket funeral: a sniper had shot her in the back of the skull when she was leaving the pet adoption center. She had no idea who had done it. To her surprise, there was a white lily on the grave, laid out right over where Holly's hands were crossed on her chest. "Was ist das?" Reaper stated from over by his grave,

"There's flowers on mine, too." Angela walked over. A bouquet of 5 flowers were on his grave, right were the hands would be. She frowned: the flowers were less than a day old.

"That's odd." Reaper shrugged, walking off to another grave with white lilies. Angela followed him towards it. the name sounded familiar, but Angela couldn't place it. "Who was Gerald Lacroix?"

"Widow's husband." Angela suddenly recognized the name: she had cared for him after an explosion, then his throat was slit 2 months after he had gotten out of the hospital. "Why did you want me to come?" Angela shook her head clear.

"I wanted you to see your memorial." Reaper crossed his arm, but followed her calmly. She entered the building, and gestured to a few pictures and items people had given to the small collection. "It's not much, but you didn't like pictures, and not many people had gifts from you." He picked up a small knife off the table, looking at the other items. "What's that?" Angela asked.

"Gift to someone." He tossed it back onto the table.

"Who?" She asked with a smile. He didn't usually talk about kind things he'd done for people.

"Amanda Richards." Angela frowned.

"I was the ME for that woman. Her jugular was…" She trailed off as the injuries ran through her memory: they were all moves Reaper had done before. "…She looked horrified…"

"She was." Angela froze, completely terrified at the concept Reaper killed one of his closest friends from Overwatch.

"Why?" Her volume raised to a shout. "Why would you kill that woman? She showed you nothing but respect and love! Why would you kill the poor woman?!"

"What does it matter? She's dead." He retorted, picking up the knife again, slipping it in his pocket. "Should've kept it. Instead, she leaves a good knife to rust in honor of a dead man." He continued looking over the memorial as Angela tried to process what he just revealed.

"…You're a monster now." She felt her back get pressed against the cold marble wall, Reaper's mask ripped off to reveal his rage-filled, brown eyes as he held her off the ground, face to face with the shock and scared doctor.

"Yeah, I am. Guess you should've left me dead, or left more than 2 people a month out of training to guard me." Angela looked at the furious wraith, then looked down at her feet.

"…I'm sorry, Gabriel." He dropped her, and she caught herself on the wall, straightening. He straightened on his mask as she recovered, picking up a sheet of paper and a lit candle holding it down onto the table.

"Jessie visited." Angela frowned. *He was wanted when the memorial was set up. How on earth could he have visited?*

"…That's impossible."

"Receipt for plain bagel, not toasted, nothing on it: candle." He set them back down the way they had been. "Tradition in Mexico."

"The receipt or the candle?" Angela asked honestly, not sure. Reaper just looked at her in annoyance. "Candle it is. That does sound like Jessie." She paused, looking over the memorial herself: it had been several years since she visited it. She saw a raven feather and ashes in an incense burner. "Genji visited here."

"Yeah." He picked up the feather, setting it back down.

"Everyone loved you, Gabriel. How could you kill so many of your friends?" He scoffed.

"Go ahead and act holier than thou. I'm not the only one without a blood free past." Angela looked down.

"I have apologized several times for what I-" Reaper chuckled.

"I'm not talking about what you did to me, doc." Angela frowned, not following. Reaper didn't help much, still looking over the memorial table. *He's talking about the war. What I did in…* Her eyes began watering in remembrance, everything becoming a blur as flames surrounded her mind's eye.

"I did what I had to do for my country, Gabriel! I regret it every day, and if you tell anyone, I'll…I'll…" she rubbed her eyes dry, and when she opened them she saw Reaper within arm's reach, right in front of her face with his head tilted slightly.

"You'll what? Kill me, imprison me, torture? I've gone through everything you can do to me, Angela. Threats only work on people who are afraid." Angela looked down, not sure what she'd do. "I don't blackmail. I'm giving you a warning, Angela."

"…A warning about what?" He looked at her through the side of his mask. She felt his eyes locking onto hers.

"The world Talon is trying to make is dark. You might have to get dark again if you want to finish them for good." Angela nodded in understanding, then paused, asking gingerly,

"…How did you find out about that?" He chuckled, picking up a photo of him, Genji, and Jessie.

"With how much light you make, there's bound to be some dark shadows. I just looked in the right spots."

"…Does Sombra know?" He openly laughed, leaving the monument.

"What do you think?"


	8. Spying

Ana sighed as she entered the training room. She was surprised to see Arach poking around in the mechanics. "What are you doing?" Ana touched his shoulder, and he jumped up. "I didn't mean to scare you. Sorry."

"You didn't." He pulled away, replacing the panel.

"…How did you get in here?"

"The door was unlocked." Ana frowned at the obvious lie. *He is a poor liar.*

"The door closes automatically, and is always locked." Arach winced. "You are a bad liar."

"So people keep telling me…The guy who wears a cowboy hat?"

"Jessie McCree." Ana explained. *There's no way a child snuck past him. He can't hide, but not many people can hide from him.* "You're not in trouble, as long as you didn't change any settings."

"No, just looking around. He was leaving, and I blocked the door open. You all spend a lot of time in here, so I was curious."

"We train here. Where is your sister?" He shrugged, looking at the ground. "What is she doing, then?"

"…She wanted some answers, so she's snooping around somewhere. I don't know where exactly, but I think it's in the cafeteria. She's not in trouble either, right?"

"Depends on who finds her first, actually. Let's go." Ana grasped Arach's arm, pulling him along. "How long have you been snooping?"

"A few days…" Ana squeezed his arm.

"Stop lying. It's a bad habit for people who aren't good at it." He winced again.

"The day after we got here. So…8 days?"

"Yes. You said she's likely in the cafeteria?" Arach nodded as they entered the eating hall. McCree was sitting there playing a card game, and Ana said, "Come here, McCree." He stood, frowning in mild worry.

"Howdy, ma'am. What can I do for ya'll?" Ana grabbed McCree's ear. "OW!"

"Next time you let a child in the training room, stay with them."

"…You found out, then…" Arach frowned.

"He didn't let me in, I snuck in."

"Yeah, and I almost didn't spot you. You're good at sneaking, but I knew you were there, pal." McCree rubbed Arach's head. "I will, ma'am. Sorry."

"Do you know where his sister is?" McCree frowned, rubbing his beard.

"She was here a couple minutes ago. Soon as she saw me, she was gone faster than a fox in the woods." Arach frowned, asking in confusion,

"…Is that fast?"

"Yes." Ana said, looking at the tired-looking cowboy. "You're not drunk again, are you?"

"Haven't had a drink in 5 days…" He smiled. Ana frowned, looking over the cowboy. His hands were shaking, and his eyes looked bloodshot. She smiled. *Alcohol withdrawal signs.*

"Good job, Jessie. Have a nice lunch." He shrugged, yawning, as Ana pulled Arach along. "Did your sister have any particular people she was interested in?"

"The purple-blue lady. She stopped to look at us when we went to the cafeteria, but didn't say anything. She was asking people about her room a few days ago." Ana cursed quietly in Arabic, speeding up on her way to Widow's room. She found Mortica panting outside, with a blank-faced Widow having a knife to her neck.

"Do not enter my quarters again." She said evenly, looking the terrified girl in the eye.

"S-sorry…" Widow withdrew the knife, looking Ana in the eye. Ana was shocked she had threatened a child. Widow looked at Arach.

"The same goes for you." He nodded with a gulp, and Widow entered her room. Mortica hugged her brother, breathing deeply.

"Oh…she's scary…"

"Are you alright?" Mortica nodded. Ana noticed she had something in her hand. "What is that?"

"It's a drawing from Alice." Ana believed her until her eyes darted to her brother. Ana smiled, kneeling in front of the girl.

"You are a lot better liar than your brother. Show me." Mortica complied, revealing a black and white ultrasound. Ana's eyes widened. "Where did you find this?"

"In her room…"

"I'll give it back. Go to your room, now." The twins looked at each other, but nodded in compliance. Ana knocked on Widow's door. There was no reply. She sighed, knocking louder. Still no reply. "I know you are in there, Amelie."

"I have no interest in talking to you."

"I have something of yours." The door opened, and Widow looked Ana in the face. She locked onto the ultrasound.

"…The girl took it. Impressive." She took it back, and closed the door again. Ana frowned. *Why would she keep a picture of the ultrasound?* She walked to the twin's room, and heard them talking to each other.

"Arach, it was an ultrasound of twins."

"A lot of people have twins, Mortica."

"I think she's our mom."

"A mass murdering sniper whose purple is our mother? I'd rather not think that's right."

"And the man who has the skull mask he never takes off?"

"The one who knew our birthdays?"

"Yeah. I think he's our dad." Silence fell in the room.

"…Sure, Mortica. Don't you recognize them from the holo-vids? They're criminals: they kill people for fun, not even a living. I'd rather them not be our parents."

"You think I want them to be? I don't want to be related to murderers. But everything we've seen says they are, and you can't ignore that." Ana heard the hurt in Mortica's voice, and Arach's stubbornness in his statements of denial.

"I can, and I will."

"Arach, we've spent our entire lives looking for our parents, trying to figure out why they left us at an orphanage. Now we can ask them."

"Ask them? Mortica, she threatened to kill you! The guy avoids us: every time I've stepped in the same room as him, he walks off or ignores me! I know you want to have parents, but they're just killers."

"You can't just avoid the things you don't want to face! This is you trying to run away all over again!"

"...I'm taking a walk. Love you, sis."

"…Love you, too, and be safe." Ana stood to the side, letting Arach walk past her. *These poor children have no idea what's happened…* He paused, looking at the older woman.

"…It's true, isn't it?" Ana nodded in affirmation. "Of course." He stormed off.


	9. Remembrance

Angela was straightening her office when Alice wandered inside. "Guten Tag, Alice."

"Hello. I remember you, but I can't place you…" Alice started.

"We met at Jack's funeral. I took care of you whenever I had time. It's not surprising you don't remember me: you were only 3 when Patricia moved without telling me." Angela explained.

"Everyone seemed surprised Dad had a kid…"

"He didn't tell many people to protect you."

"So people keep telling me." She said resentfully. Angela paused.

"…You're upset he didn't tell you."

"Yes! He's my dad. He should have told me." She looked down, hurt written everywhere.

"He didn't tell anyone he was alive. Ana was the only one who knew, and that's because she knows everything." Alice sighed, sitting down on a chair, wrapping her arms around her legs.

"…I wish he had."

"So do I." Angela sighed, then smiled. "Could I help with something?"

"Unless you can get him to talk to me without making references to 'old times', no." Alice joked. "We still have a good relationship, it just hurts that he didn't trust me enough to tell me." Angela rapidly shook her head.

"That's not why he didn't tell you. He was trying to take down Talon singlehandedly, Reaper singlehandedly. He was going to be gone a very long time, and he might not have come back. He didn't want you or Patricia to worry, so he didn't tell you." Alice nodded in understanding.

"The same reason Mom said he didn't tell any stories about future missions. That makes sense, but that doesn't change the fact it hurts."

"Nothing will except talking to Jack." Alice sighed, leaning back on her seat. She looked at the doctor.

"Could you tell me about the war?" Angela winced, almost getting a papercut as she continued organizing her files.

"…It's not a nice subject."

"Please? Mom won't-wouldn't-talk about it at all, and whenever I ask Dad about it now, he talks about attack strategies, which are interesting, but not what I'm asking about." Angela sighed, putting the papers away for now and sitting down.

"I'll tell you about the formation of Overwatch, alright?" Alice nodded. "I was about 3 months old when the war first started. I don't know how it began. All I do know is it was awful. As soon as I was able to read, I was gathering up as much medical knowledge I could. I wanted to help in any way I could. I was 7 when I first began fighting against them by healing others. I was gifted, as many told me, and I was sent to learn medicine and scientific studies when I was 10. I graduated with a standard medical degree-" Angela gestured to a wall covered with 7 medical degrees. "-and went back to the war front better equipped when I was 13. I stayed there a year, doing things I regret and things I don't, when I was approached by a woman and a knight."

"Reinhardt?" Alice asked.

"Ja. How did you know?"

"He visited my mom a few times over the years." Alice explained.

"Well, they told me about an organization that would not just fight the Omnics, but defeat them. That's when I first met Jack. He was…21, recruited when he graduated college. I heard a lot about him being the star football player there over the years. He still wears the jacket, too." Angela chuckled at the memory, and Alice chuckled at her father talking to other people about football in the middle of a war zone. "We had almost everyone we needed to make the strikes."

"Almost? I count 4 people. The holo-vids mention 4 starting members." Angela frowned.

"Then they are cutting out 2 of them. I was the healer, Ana was the sniper."

"There was a sniper?"

"Ah. They wouldn't have mentioned Ana in the Holo-vids. Her mission was to stay in one spot undetected for almost 2 months."

"Woah…" Alice gasped in amazement.

"Ja. Reinhardt was the…metaphorical tank. He protected us when we were stalled, and helped us push forward. He would keep our morale up as well with his stories of dragons and knights, and keep us up at night with his horror stories at Halloween." Angela smiled warmly at the kind memory. "Jack was the strike commander. He told people their jobs, made the hard decisions when needed. He doesn't like talking about the war because he had to make the calls that led people to their death."

"Oh…" Alice looked down.

"It's okay. Jack has said he wouldn't change anything he did. Then there was Torbjorn. He was the mechanic: building and repairing our weaponry, getting our supplies. He's a grouch, but a good friend. The final person was named Gabriel Reyes."

"I've heard that name…He was the leader of Blackwatch! He died in the explosion, right?" Alice asked.

"…Not exactly." Angela stated nervously. "I'll explain later. He was the last person we found. Jack took an immediate dislike to him."

"Why?"

"Jack knows the law, and shame to all who break it. Even as a vigilante, he tried to respect the law of the country he was in. Gabriel was the person to ignore the law based on his needs. He already had a record when he joined, and he was 18. Eventually they came to be good friends, but Jack never understood why Gabriel had to break the law so often. It eventually led to them falling out again. But while Jack oversaw the execution of the mission, Gabriel would see to it that the mission was done while keeping as many people safe as he could."

"So he oversaw the safety of the soldiers?" Alice questioned.

"Not exactly. They had the same goal: take out the Omniums. Jack focused on the big picture: what they had to do to finish the job, what the people had to be ready to do. Jack was the person to pour over the plan for days, plotting every course as information filtered in, then strike. Gabriel was the person who burned the plan after reading it once, gather intel for a few days, then strike. Both methods work, but because of Gabriel's tendency to ignore politicians, Jack got the credit. I don't think that would ever went away." Alice stood.

"Thanks for explaining. Maybe later you'll tell me about Mr. Reyes."

"We'll see." Angela smiled.


	10. Anger

Mortica had approached Ana 5 hours ago, saying Arach still hadn't come back from his walk. Ana frowned as she scanned the cafeteria: nothing. She sighed, continuing onward. "Arach? Your sister is getting worried." Ana called. There was no reply, not that she expected one. She walked along, finding Bridgette.

"Miss Amari!" Bridgette saluted.

"No need for that. I heard I was moving in with you."

"Yeah. Weird, huh?" Ana chuckled at Bridgette trying to conceal her excitement.

"I'm sure we'll get along fine. I have a question."

"How can I help?"

"Have you seen the boy twin?"

"No. Do you want some help looking for him?"

"No, I'll find him. Thank you, Bridgette. Good luck in training." Bridgette gasped lightly.

"How'd you know I was heading to training?"

"It's 3. You always go to training at 3." Bridgette blushed.

"Oh, yeah…" Ana chuckled, walking away as she shook her head. "Good luck, ma'am!" *She needs to get her excitement about being a member under control. This is war, and we need to stay focused.* Ana checked in the training room. Lucio was on the ground in a chokehold from Locarno.

"Told you I was good!"

"Release!" Lucio wheezed out, Locarno complying. Ana continued onwards. *Someone should start their training soon. I'll mention it to Jack: he'll set it up.* She walked to the firing range, pausing to look inside. She saw Widow standing there, and was about to continue onward when she heard Reaper,

"So that's it?" She frowned, listening carefully.

"Oui."

"Our kids are here, are confused and scared, and you aren't even going to tell them you're related to them?" He growled, sounding angrier than Ana had ever heard, which was saying a lot.

"It does not make a difference: I am not their mother."

"YES, YOU ARE!" He shouted, making Ana wince. There were a few seconds of pause, then he continued more controlled. "You gave birth to them: do you feel anything towards them at all?!"

"You know the answer, Mon Cherie."

"I'm not your 'Cherie'."

"Whatever you say, Mon Cherie."

"Yo no tu 'Cherie'! Tu velve mi loco! (I'm not your Cherie! You drive me insane!)" He shouted. Ana heard Amelie's heels quietly clicking as she left the room, and Ana just stood outside, not caring if Amelie knew she overheard. Amelie did a side glance, but didn't greet Ana with anything. Ana did think she saw a tear sliding down her expressionless face. *No, I imagined it. She doesn't feel anything if she can say that about her own children.* She began to walk into the room when Arach appeared from the room across.

"So I'm not the only one who eavesdrops."

"Your sister is worried, Arach." *Jessie wasn't kidding about him being a good hider.*

"I'm fine. We have different methods of getting information." He walked into the room, and Ana hesitated. *It's better I not get involved, but I want to make sure it goes smoothly.*

"Go away, Amelie."

"Who?"

"You're not Amelie." *For once, talk to someone…*

"No, I'm not."

"Go away, Arach." Ana heard the boy getting more frustrated, but trying to stay calm.

"We need to talk." There was no reply, and Arach repeated, "I have to talk to you. It's about-"

"What part of 'go away' wasn't clear, kid? I don't want to talk to you." *Come on, Gabriel…*

"I honestly don't care what you want. I'm going to talk to you. It's about-"

"I don't care what it's about. I need to train." Arach's voice turned into one of forced calm, one that Reinhardt had used frequently on Gabriel during training.

"You want to train? We can train, fatso." Ana groaned. *This is not good at all.*

"What did you just call me?"

"Fatso. But before we train, I'm going to talk to you. It's about my sister."

"I'm busy."

"Busy?! You made my sister cry!" Ana heard a gun fire, and headed inside. Arach had a gun aimed at Reaper, and there was a bullet hole in the wall. "You are hurting Mortica!" Arach switched to melee, not even close to hitting the wraith but raging. "You're avoiding her! You're breaking her heart! You can't do that! She believed that you loved her! She believed in you when I wouldn't!" Arach was shouting loudly, voice cracking as he ranted at the silent Gabriel. "Now you're ignoring her! You're acting like you hate her! When she wouldn't give up trying to find you! She was relentless in her hope that you didn't abandon us and now her hope is crushed because of you!" Arach stopped trying to hit Reaper and Reaper stopped, still silent. Arach glare up at him, hatred obvious without even an attempt to hide it. "I thought that if I talked to you, you would tell me something, anything to help me stop her pain. I was wrong. Never come near my sister or me again. We don't need any of you." Arach began walking away when Reaper grabbed his shoulder. Arach tried to punch him in the face. Reaper was expecting it, grabbing his hand. He looked right at Arach, saying,

"Go back to your quarters to your sister." Arach hissed,

"You can't tell me what to-" Reaper's grip tightened, and Ana was worried he would break the boy's fingers.

"That's an order." Arach ripped out of Reaper's grip, storming off. Reaper turned and shot a full ammo clip into a target, obliterating it haphazardly with no clear bullet pattern. "What?" He tossed the gun to the side, creating a new one and unloading it as well. Ana could hear his voice cracking.

"Take off the mask."

"Why?"

"Because I can't read you with it on, and we need to talk." Reaper complied, and Ana saw tears streaming down his face. *He never cries…*

"I thought that if I avoided them, it would be better, but…uh…"

"It's okay." Reaper laughed harshly, wiping water away from his eyes.

"How is any of this okay, Ana?! I destroyed Mortica's hope. I destroyed my daughter's hope."

"How are you going to fix it?" Reaper gave a hollow laugh.

"How am I supposed to do that? Tell them I'm a mass murderer of many of my old friends, that we left her at an orphanage to protect her from that life? That I've killed thousands of innocent people while working with a terrorist organization?"

"Anything is better than silence." Reaper pulled out a new pair of guns and decimated another target.

"I just don't know, Ana, and I hate it."


	11. Planning Ahead

Angela finished writing down everything she had found out about Jamison and Roadhog's health. *They were in great shape considering they lived in an irradiated area for so long. I wonder how Jack is doing health wise? I haven't checked on anyone in a few years, actually. I should talk to him about it: he is 52.* She headed towards the commander's office, knocking politely. Jack answered his door, making Angela jump.

"Didn't mean to startle you, Angela."

"It's fine. You just…don't usually open your door, that's all."

"I was actually expecting Gabe." Angela frowned.

"Why?"

"He never showed up for our meeting." Angela frowned. *He's never been late for a meeting with Jack before.* "Have you seen him?"

"You know he doesn't talk to me anymore." Angela stated, looking down.

"I know, but I was hoping someone had." A knock sounded, and Jack opened the door again.

"You opened your door. What's the occasion?" Angela sighed in relief at Ana's appearance.

"Have you seen Reaper?"

"Gabriel is busy. He said he'd agree to whatever you say." Both Jack and Angela frowned.

"Wass? Ist er gut? (What? Is he good?)"

"He's never done that before. Ever." Jack stated in confusion. Ana nodded.

"He's having issues with his twins, and wants to figure out how to handle that first. I'll be taking his place for the time being." Jack seemed just as confused as before, but Angela understood. *He really does care for them, then.*

"Alright. So, Widow finally let out one of the base's locations. It's in Egypt." Ana frowned.

"I looked all over my country for a base. There is no way a Talon base is there."

"She gave exact coordinates, Ana." Angela frowned.

"I don't know if we can trust her, Jack." Angela said gingerly. "She hasn't exactly been forth coming with information, and the way she acts…"

"I agree. She doesn't feel anything about her own children: there's no way she feels emotion for something else." Ana affirmed, much less subtle about her distrust than Angela. Jack nodded.

"I don't, but it's the first lead we've gotten in months, and Gabe mentioned going to a base somewhere in the middle east, too."

"Jack, I don't like the feeling I'm getting." Ana stated, looking genuinely concerned.

"I understand that. That's why I'm sending a small recon group, not a strike team." Angela took a deep breath.

"Who's on the team?"

"McCree, Lucio, and you two."

"That's an odd group choice." Angela observed.

"It's not something Sombra would expect. That's why I chose them."

"It would be more surprising if you sent Widow." Ana stated. Angela looked at her in mild horror.

"I don't want to be on a dangerous mission with her!"

"I know you have bad feelings about Widow, but it wouldn't be expected, and she knows the base. Besides, Pharah contacted Winston with the communicator you gave her, Ana. She says she got fired. She thinks Sombra got to her boss based on his reactions." Ana looked surprised.

"Not even Helix is untouchable, then…" She muttered.

"What did you tell her?"

"I told her to stay put: I'm sending a group there to investigate suspicious activity." Angela frowned.

"Then it will be best to send Widow with us. Talon wouldn't know about Pharah joining just yet, so it would throw 2 surprise elements into it." Jack nodded, but Ana raised her hand.

"Except for one thing: none of us in that group are good with electronics except Lucio, and we don't know to what extent his skills go to. We need some way to get to the information." Jack frowned.

"…None of us are skilled with tech except Bridgette, and she's good at building, not programming, and definitely not hacking." Ana smiled.

"There is one person."

"Who?" Angela frowned. *I know all of the members: not of them can hack.*

"Arach." Angela looked at Ana in horror mixed with surprise.

"He's 10, and untrained."

"When are you going to start training them?"

"I was waiting until they recovered from the shock of everything, so on Monday."

"Tomorrow? How convenient." Angela nodded in agreement: he'd not mention training them since the kids had said they wanted to fight Talon. Ana's eyebrow was raised in suspicion.

"Okay, I didn't want to train them at all. They're kids: they should be able to act like it." Jack admitted.

"Jack, I understand wanting to protect them, but none of them act like children, especially the twins." Angela stated, recalling Arach's hostile nature and Mortica's calculating tendency.

"They may not act like it, but they're still kids." Ana sighed.

"Locarno and Alice are the same age you and Gabriel were when you joined, and the twins are only a few years earlier." Jack winced, and Angela knew he realized he was outnumbered.

"Alright. I'll train them the first week: we'll figure out teaching schedules later. But we don't give them guns yet. They're too young, and I want them to keep that innocence as long as they can."

"Of course." Ana stated.

"I completely agree." Angela nodded firmly.

"Good. But what do we do about Pharah in Egypt? She's going to be waiting for a team since she turned off the comms." Ana smiled.

"Angela, do you think you and Bridgette could do recon on the base? She needs field experience, and you can get you and her out of trouble quickly." Angela nodded, happy to help somehow.

"I'd be glad to do that. And we can pick Pharah up on our way back."

"Alright, sounds like a plan. Oh, why did you come to talk to me?"

"Well, you need a checkup, as you did turn 50 2 years ago. I was hoping to schedule one." Jack figeted.

"The war takes prio-" Angela's eyes flashed, and Jack fell silent.

"Do not give me that. Health takes priority because you can't lead a war front in a hospital. You know I how feel about that." Ana grinned.

"It's because he doesn't like needles."

"Ana." He turned a light red.

"It's true, Jack. You can't deny it." She teased.

"It's embarrassing as a fear…" Angela swallowed a laugh.

"It's natural, Jack. Don't worry: I'll make it as non-invasive as possible."

"Mmrgh…"


	12. Family Film

Ana knocked on Reaper's door, needle and thread in hand. He opened the door. "What, Ana?"

"I'm returning them."

"…I have dozens." He stated, sounding more surprised she was returning them than annoyed.

"You told me to return them when I was done."

"…Thanks." He took the supplies, and was about to close the door when he paused. "How's the kid's training going?" He entered his room, and Ana entered as well.

"Jack isn't being that harsh, but Mortica is having issues with the physical labor. Arach is doing fairly well, though. He is very stubborn."

"Hmm." Ana frowned. He seemed either calmer or more nervous than usual.

"What's wrong, Gabriel?"

"…I've been trying to…" He hesitated. "…talk to my kids." Ana frowned.

"…You talk to them, instead of avoiding them like Jack." Reaper looked at her in sheer annoyance.

"Thanks, Ana."

"It's not healthy for you or them." Ana pushed. Reaper growled.

"What am I supposed to do? I don't talk to people: you know that."

"The world knows that after you punched a reporter in the face." Ana reminded.

"I was having a bad day." Gabriel dismissed, entering his craft room and putting the items away as he came out. Ana thought for a few minutes as he sat down on his bed, then got up again.

"…Do you still have your movies?"

"Yeah. So?"

"Why don't you watch a film with them?" Reaper lost it.

"You make it sound like it's the most normal thing in the world! 'Hey, we've never talked at all! Want to watch a movie?!' S***…" He sighed in exasperation. "…It's better than nothing, I guess. One condition to this stupid-a** plan. You come too."

"Oh, it's so terrible to watch a Disney film." Ana laughed. Reaper growled.

"Get the hell out." She complied.

"Sorry, Gabriel."

"Whatever." She waited in the theater room, and was soon joined by Arach and Mortica, though Reaper didn't appear. The twins frowned at seeing Ana.

"Why are we here?" Arach asked bluntly.

"We've going to watch a film." Ana explained. *Of course he didn't say why…*

"…Why?" They asked at the same time, throwing Ana off.

"…Gabriel wanted to spend time with you." Arach scoffed. *He's likely listening in, trying to figure out what to do.*

"Right." Mortica just looked at her hands.

"What's wrong with that, Arach?"

"If he wanted to spend time with us, he would have shown up earlier. You know, before we were kidnapped? Or even better, before we were left at an orphanage?!" Mortica winced, but still said nothing. Ana sighed. *Oh, that boy is angry.*

"…Mortica? Is something bothering you?"

"…" She looked up, and Ana was startled by the hostility in her eyes. *I haven't seen someone that angry since I first saw Reaper…* "Yeah. Both our parents are here, and neither one of them will talk to us to even say hello. They don't even care." Reaper appeared in the doorway. *What took him so long to make his appearance?* He walked in front of the twins, who refused to make eye contact. Ana realized he was furious. *Oh, no.*

"Gabriel-"

""You can say anything about me: I'm a horrible parent, I am; I'm a murderer, I am. But do not say I don't care about you. I left you at that orphanage because you would have died or worse if we kept you. I'm a fugitive and a killer, not a father-figure. Even if I could, I wouldn't go back and change what we did. It was the best option. I had died. Literally died. I couldn't take care of two kids. I still can't. I thought that if you didn't know I was your father, you'd be better off. Even after you found out, I figured it'd be better not to know me after everything I've done. What exactly am I supposed to do? There are no manuals for this. I've done almost every horrible deed you can think of. I'm not parent material: I'm a killer." Both kids looked up at him in surprise, but Reaper looked away, asking numbly as he glazed over the movie titles, "So do you want to watch a movie or not?" The 2 twins hesitated, but Mortica slowly said,

"…What movies do you have?"

"Come and look: there's a few." She complied, scanning over the selection.

"Um…these are all Disney films…"

"Yeah."

"…Overwatch people watch Disney?"

"No. I watch Disney." Arach looked up at that.

"Mr. Doom and Gloom watches Disney?"

"I actually get that one." Reaper stated. Arach stood up, going over to the movies as well. Ana smiled as the 3 looked over them.

"Robin Hood? Sounds interesting." The boy offered gingerly.

"Sure."

"I like that idea." Mortica piped up. "I read the book. It was cool." Reaper looked at them in surprise.

"The book? Haven't you seen it?"

"No. The orphanage didn't have a DVD player. One that worked, anyways." Arach stated. Reaper was silent for a few minutes as Ana processed this information. *That is genuinely surprising…*

"…We're going to watch all of these."

"Today?!" Arach stated in surprise.

"No, one a day, after training. No way am I going to let this atrocity slide." He muttered. Ana smiled as the twins settled into chairs. She stood up, walking to Reaper's side as he set up the video.

"Do you think you can handle it now?" He scoffed at her quiet whisper.

"I don't know what your plan was, but it worked. Now I can at least hold a conversation…somewhat." Ana smiled.

"Things will work out. My daughter thought I was dead, and we're still close."

"…You really shouldn't be able to say that kind of stuff so easily." Mortica imputed. Ana paused. *She has good hearing.*

"What, us being thought dead?" Reaper asked.

"Yeah…I'm pretty sure it shouldn't be taken so lightly…" She stated.

"I'll explain why we're like that after the movie, okay? Oh, you should probably check on Jack. Locarno was going to ditch, and he's probably livid."

"Gabriel, why didn't you say that sooner?!" Ana shouted as she raced off.


	13. Boring

Angela showed Lucio around her office, nervous about leaving. "Und that's where the staunching methods are. Do you remember it all?" Lucio laughed.

"I got it, Angela. Don't worry so much."

"I SWEAR I'M GOING TO STRANGLE THAT PUNK!" Angela winced at Jack's shout of rage.

"I don't worry enough. I'll go check on that." Angela sighed, walking towards Jack's office. She found Jack pacing the hallway just outside his office, rage pouring off of him. "Jack, what happened? I heard you shout from my office."

"Locarno is going to make me kill him." Jack hissed, still pacing.

"What did he do?"

"He keeps trying to skip training!" Angela frowned.

"Wasn't he the one who suggested joining?"

"Yes!"

"Alright, calm down, Jack. You have high blood pressure already." Angela reprimanded. "Let me talk to him. He probably has a reason for it." Angela began to walk away, then paused. "Where is Locarno?"

"I have no idea. I lost track of him after the 2nd day of him skipping class." Angela nodded. *Then I'll find McCree first: he should have an idea where he is.* She walked into the cafeteria to find McCree eating lunch. *Grits and biscuits…*

"McCree, I told you to watch your carbohydrates!" He nearly choked on the food.

"Doc! *COUGH*. You almost plum gave me a heart attack…"

"Your cholesterol will do that without me. I said you have diabetes: you can't take it lightly."

"They are vegetable biscuits…" He offered. Angela's eyes narrowed. "Alright then: it don't count. What can I do for you?" He stood up, stretching.

"Do you have an idea of where Locarno is?"

"Oh, yeah. He hangs out in the file room." Angela frowned.

"He needs a passcode to get in there." McCree rubbed his head nervously.

"Well, they are technically members…"

"McCree, you can't share your passcode with everyone…" Angela sighed, rubbing her forehead.

"Sorry, doc. He's either in the file room, or the training room with Mortica and Arach, though."

"Danke."

"No problem." He went to take another bite of his food when Angela wiped it from him. "Aw, come on!"

"Get a yogurt, McCree." She ordered, walking away. she paused slightly to throw the mess away, then headed to the file room, entering her own passcode. Locarno was leaning back in a chair, reading someone's file outloud.

"Relationships: married to Amelie Lacroix…"

"That is private information." He looked up at her statement, but didn't seem very concerned.

"Sorry, lady." Angela sat down across from him.

"You're supposed to be training."

"Ugh…" He groaned, setting the file down.

"You're the one who suggested joining. To join, you have to finish training."

"It's boring." Angela wasn't expecting that. "I do that kind of exercising all the time. It's so dull…can't I just join already?"

"The physical part is boring to you?" He nodded in affirmation. "Then why don't you help your other teammates improve instead of…leaving them alone to deal with Jack?"

"…Wait, they're not bored?"

"Nein. Mortica is struggling with the physical labor, and both Alice and Arach could improve quite a bit."

"Oh. I didn't know that." Locarno jumped up. "I should go help out then."

"I agree. Good luck."

"You too, lady!"

"…My name is Angela…" She shrugged, walking to the observation room to watch the training, turning on the microphones.

"Hola, guys!"

"So he finally shows." Arach muttered in annoyance.

"Arach…be nice…" Mortica wheezed, panting heavily.

"You want some tips for that, Mortica?" She frowned.

"…Why are you offering now?"

"That lady? The hot one who has the suit with wings?" Angela verbally sputtered at being called hot by a child. Alice looked mystified.

"Locarno, she's in her 40s." Locarno choked.

"She is?! Okay, scratch the hot, and pretend I did not say that." Mortica nodded, slightly red, as did Alice, but Arach grinned.

"I won't tell anyone, but oh, boy, are you never going to hear the end of it."

"Rats…" Angela chuckled, and headed to Jack's office. He was still pacing outside. He paused, looking at Angela.

"Well?"

"He's helping the others. He was just bored, like Gabriel got while we were training."

"Great, another Gabe…"

"I never said that." Angela stated, eyes narrowing at his tone.

"That didn't come out right."

"But it did come out the way you meant it. Gabe has different methods: that doesn't mean you want different thing or either of your ways are wrong."

"He killed hundreds, Angela."

"And so have you, and Ana, and Reinhardt, and everyone else in the war. Just because Omnics don't bleed doesn't mean they aren't living." Angela sighed. "Now, is everything going to go well while I'm gone?"

"You know Ana won't let things fall apart. Overwatch will be fine."

"I'm more concerned about my friends." Jack shifted.

"…We'll be fine, Mercy."

"Gut. I've got to go: be careful." Jack nodded in understanding, and Angela walked to Reaper's room. She hesitated, hand just above the door.

"He's not inside." Angela jumped, facing Widow in surprise. She was watching Angela calmly. "Saying goodbye?"

"…Ja, and apologizing to him again…"

"Don't. It's a sign of weakness, and if he was dead, none of you would be here." Widow began walking away.

"What does that mean?" The sniper didn't reply, and Angela sighed, walking to the launching bay. Bridgette was already there, as was Lena.

"Okay, quick run-through of the plan: I drop you off there, you stay for a month, getting intel on the base and meeting up with Pharah, then I pick you up at these coordinates. Got it?"

"Ja." Angela stated, smiling. Bridgette was practically bouncing with excitement.

"I understand."

"Good. All aboard. Next stop: Egypt!" Angela sat down across from Bridgette.

"Are you excited?"

"Definitely, but I'm trying to stay calm."

"Good. I was more nervous about my first assignment, but I can understand your excitement. Just stay close enough for me to get to you, and we'll be fine, okay?"

"Alright. I'm glad Ana suggested me. I've always wanted to go to Egypt."


	14. Education

Ana sighed as she watched the kids training Winston from the balcony. Locarno was excellent, while Arach and Alice was alright, but Mortica…Mortica struggled with every motion. Every short break that happened, she was panting heavily, bent over as she tried to catch her breath. Locarno and Arach tried to encourage her, and Alice was slowly giving her tips, but Mortica didn't seem to be improving at all. She couldn't shoot; she couldn't run. Ana frowned. She had to have something she was good at. Everyone did. They were practicing grips at this point. Mortica had slipped after 15 minutes, but Alice lasted about 19. Locarno and Arach were still glued into their position after almost 3 hours. Arach looked stressed while Locarno looked completely bored, but neither of them was moving. Winston was both impressed and surprised. *So Arach's stubbornness is going to be an asset for something…* Locarno dropped, saying something in annoyance. Arach didn't even move. Winston called out something, and Arach let go, landing on his feet. Mortica looked just disappointed in herself. Ana walked down to the training room, where all 4 of them looked surprised to see her. Winston smiled.

"Ana. How can I help you?"

"I was wondering if I could borrow Mortica for the day." Ana stated. Winston nodded.

"Of course. Everyone else, we're going to work on electronics!" Mortica nervously followed Ana to the firing range.

"Relax. You're not in trouble."

"Then why does it feel like it?"

"Because you feel guilty about something?" Mortica chuckled lightly, rubbing her hands together.

"No, I don't." Ana held up a gun, aiming at a target

"If someone was going to shoot someone else, what would you do?"

"Huh?"

"What would you do if I was about to shoot your brother?" Ana almost fired the gun at the target, but Mortica knocked the gun out of her hand. She tried to grab the gun, missing it, but raised her fists instead.

"I'd protect him." Ana paused. Mortica had a lot of potential.

"…Why aren't you doing everything you can during training?" Mortica frowned.

"I'm giving everything I've got."

"No, you aren't. You just showed me that." Mortica scowled.

"It's called adrenaline. I'm not that good."

"Someone is talking to you, then suddenly pulls a knife on you." Ana pulled a knife out suddenly, and Mortica nailed her in the face. Ana grabbed her hand, twisting swiftly. Mortica went with the movement, ramming her fist into Ana's sternum. Ana let go, but brought her knife to throat level. Mortica was panting. "You have potential, but no stamina. That's the problem, not skill." Mortica frowned.

"I just learned that from combat manuals and things like that." *No field experience, then.*

"You are in a stealth mission. One of your group members is in severe danger of being discovered when a child comes eye to eye with them and looks like they're going to scream. What would you do?"

"Cover the kid's mouth, knock them out, and move on as quickly as possible. Hopefully we complete the mission before they wake up." *She's a tactician, a Jack.*

"What if it was an adult?"

"Depending on the situation, I would do the same thing as with the child, but if they were a main enemy…I don't know. I don't want to kill anyone, but…"

"Good." Mortica looked up at Ana in surprise.

"How is that good? It's not like I'd be able to do that stuff myself."

"Not yet, but with time, training, and patience, you could do all of that. You have the mental ability to become a very good tactician. Given enough time, you could become a good fighter. Don't give up just because you're not progressing as fast as the others."

"But why can't I do the same things they can?"

"What did Arach do before you got here?"

"He was constantly trying to get away from the orphanage, acting out and getting in trouble. I guess he was more active than me." Mortica admitted.

"Locarno was always on the move, and Alice was raised by a soldier: there was no way Patricia would have let her get away without some form of combat training." Ana explained. "You're less experienced, and it's not as if this is easy training."

"You're right about that. At least everyone's fair." Mortica stated, taking a deep breath. "I have to get back to training. If I want to keep giving Arach a hard time, I have to keep up." Ana nodded.

"Just remember: give everyone time. You've only been training for a week, and this is difficult training."

"Got it. Thank you, Miss Ana!" Mortica ran off, and Ana chuckled. *I'm glad Jack started them with basic training, not advanced. None of them would stand a chance.* Ana walked off, and saw Locarno darting out of the training room. She followed the fast teen to the file room, where he typed in McCree's passcode, chuckling. Ana scowled, and stopped the door from closing, crossing her arms and making eye contact with him. Locarno looked as if he had just been found with a million dollars.

"Um…" *Kindness won't affect a child of Lucio. Harshness is called for to nip this in the bud.*

"You're skipping mandatory training. If you do it again, there will be consequences. Am I clear?" Locarno gulped, nodding in understanding and racing off. Ana sighed. She hadn't been a coraller in years, not since Pharah had become an adult. She hadn't missed it at all. she relaxed, and headed to find McCree. How had Locarno found out McCree's passcode? She found him just outside Gabriel's room, moving a box inside. He paused.

"Howdy, Miss Amari."

"Hello, McCree. How did Locarno find out your passcode?" She said bluntly. McCree almost looked surprised. Almost.

"He found out my password? That's weird."

"McCree, you can't lie to a spy. I've told you this." He grimaced.

"Well, they're recruits, ain't they? What's the harm?" Ana took a dep breath and exhaled.

"Did you tell anyone else?"

"No, ma'am. I don't get the big deal: he's 18, and I got a password myself at that age."

"McCree, did it occur to you that they escaped a Talon base without any training?"

"…Oh, shoot. I messed up."

"Let's just hope my suspicions are wrong, or you'll being saying more than 'shoot'."


	15. Friendly

Angela and Bridgette disembarked off the plane quickly, Angela feeling Bridgette's excitement bubbling up but her remaining calm. "So, where do we go first?"

"First, we see if the coordinates Widow gave us were accurate."

"Shouldn't we trust our own teammate?"

"She's not our teammate, Bridgette. She happens to be against Talon. It's not the same thing." Bridgette nodded, and Angela led the way to the coordinates, carefully watching for probes or any form of surveillance. There was none, and it disturbed her. *If Sombra is as obsessed with secrets as Gabriel and Widow imply, why would a base, even one that wasn't important, be this unprotected?* They continued on, up a small hill. There was a small village, and Angela frowned. This was the coordinates, but this wasn't a base: it was a town. She frowned, doubling checking. This was it. "Either it was faulty, or Widow had misspoken the directions. Let's find out. Stay close to me: something doesn't seem right about this." Both of them were warmly welcomed, and Angela's concerns washed away. They were very kind, directing them to an inn. But as Angela got more comfortable, Bridgette got more uncomfortable.

"Angela, I don't like this." She stated as they got into the hotel. Angela frowned. What wasn't to like?

"I'm sure it's fine."

"If you say so…" Angela walked up to the desk, where a young man was standing.

"Hello, I was wondering if a Fareeha Amari was staying here?"

"Yes, she was. She left a few days ago." Angela forced a smile, instantly suspicious. Pharah wouldn't have left, not without hearing from someone ordering her to change locations. "Would you like me to ask around for you?"

"Nein, that's alright. We'll find her."

"I insist, ma'am." Angela continued to smile, starting to understand why Bridgette was nervous.

"I'm sure we'll find her. No need to worry yourself. Let's go." He stood up as Angela started to pull Bridgette away.

"She told me the same thing. I'm sure she's dead worried." Angela didn't pause, practically pulling Bridgette out of the suddenly hostile hotel. She heard a gun click. "I'll be sure to introduce you." A gun shot echoed, Angela hearing glass shatter. She didn't feel an impact, but heard a thud from it hitting someone else.

"Move, Angela!" Angela smiled, complying instantly to Pharah's familiar commanding voice.

"I told you-"

"Yes, and I should have trusted you, let's go!" She saw Pharah hovering, then landing in the street.

"Hello, run!" She shouted quickly. Bridgette raised her shield, and all three of them ran. They heard a few gunshots, but Bridgette's shield stopped them from impacting. They quickly left the town behind, and Pharah led them to a shallow cave where a camp was set up. She took a deep breath. "I would have warned you, but they have all radio waves watched. The best way to meet up with you was to watch the hotel."

"That's quite alright. I should have trusted my partner. Amateur action…" Angela groaned.

"It's been several years since you had a partner, Angela. It's fine. I don't think we've met. I'm Pharah." Pharah took off her helmet, and Angela gasped. She'd grown up quite a lot since the last time she had seen her as a young girl who was always being watched by Gabriel, Ana or Jack. She even had a small tattoo of Horus' eye over her own eye, like Ana. "What's wrong?"

"Nothing. I was just surprised with how much you've grown." Pharah smiled lightly.

"Time does that, Doctor Ziegler. What's your name?" Bridgette looked enthralled, but shook it off, offering a hand.

"Bridgette Lindholm, ma'am. It's awesome to meet you!"

"Oh, Torbjorn's oldest! It's nice to meet you, Bridgette. How is Torbjorn?" Bridgette's smile faltered.

"I don't know. I haven't spoken with most of my family in a few years, other than my sister Julia. Last I heard, he refused to join Overwatch again and called the police on Jack Morrison."

"Oh…" Pharah looked concerned, but nodded in understanding. "To business."

"Of course. I assume you haven't been idle."

"Not at all. Mother taught me better than that. Even when she was 'dead', she was active. That town is a port for Talon goods. All of the citizens are Talon officers, and they are well trained and dangerous. A day ago, they got 30 more citizens, and exported all their stored goods. They knew you were coming, or it was convenient timing for their side." Angela frowned.

"I'm more inclined to say they knew. Did you get the information?"

"About there being 4 children now and Widow and Gabriel being invested parties? Yes."

"It has to be Widow."

"Not necessarily. You have 6 new people there, not just Widow, and you haven't questioned any of them." Angela gulped.

"You don't think that children could…be working with?"

"I don't know, but we can't rule it out. We stay here, gather as much information as we can about this area, and we see what happens when we get back. I already contacted Lena while I was watching the hotel: she's coming back next week." Bridgette sounded nervous.

"I'm not exactly sure what you're talking about. Are you saying that Arach, Mortica, Alice, or Locarno, as well as Widowmaker could be a traitor?"

"As well as Gabriel. Honestly, if they can get to my commander, they can get to anyone." Pharah sighed. "He had about the clearest record you could have."

"Jack thinks they aren't just blackmailing through past deeds. They're threatening family, too." Pharah growled.

"Well, they're going to learn what that leads to. People are willing to do anything to protect their families." Angela nodded. Bridgette frowned, then gasped.

"That means…Dad wasn't blackmailed: they threatened Mom and my siblings then…I have to-" Pharah and Angela grabbed her phone. Angela explained quickly,

"That will put you and them in more risk. The less you attempt to contact, the safer they are."

"…we have to stop them."

"We will, and hopefully no one will get hurt in the process." Angela stated, knowing in her heart that her hope was impossible.


	16. Danger

Ana kept watching the kids. Could one of them be working with Talon? She found it hard to believe. *Of course, I thought the same thing about Amelie and that cost me an eye.* Ana was suddenly face to face with Lena. She barely stopped in time to keep from bumping into her. *Pay attention to where you're walking!* She scolded herself. "Hello, Lena."

"Hello, luv. I just got a message from Pharah." Ana nodded, following the woman to the communication room. "It came in yesterday, but it was sent the day before I dropped Angela and Bridgette off." Lena explained. The message played.

"Pharah reporting. There has been-Hola." Ana frowned at the stranger's voice. "Apagando las luces, amigos." The message went silent.

"There's 20 seconds after that. I don't know who that is, or what that means, but they covered Pharah's message."

"It's Spanish, but I don't know who that is or what it means either."

"It took a while, but Pharah contacted me through a lot. It went through for exactly 3 seconds." Lena played the message.

"Pick up in week." Ana frowned at the sound of urgency in Pharah's voice.

"I needed to ask you what to do."

"Pick them up in a week. Pharah knows what's she's doing. Stay here: I know that language is Spanish, so I'll get Gabriel." Lena seemed uncomfortable, not nodded in understanding. Ana walked off to Reaper's room. He wasn't there. She went to the firing range. Widow was practicing, but no Reaper. She walked to the file room: nothing. "Where could he be?" She walked to the training room. She noticed the observation room's door was open. She walked in to find Reaper and Lucio watching the kids training with Reinhardt.

"Was he always like this?" Lucio asked as the children were doing pushups, Mortica lagging behind and Locarno excelling.

"He's being nice." Reaper growled.

"Gabriel." Reaper looked over, and Lucio jumped. "I need you." Reaper silently followed her. Ana felt uncomfortable in the silence. Gabriel had been one of her closest allies. For him to be in this situation…

"Reminiscing about training?"

"Frustrated. He's babying them: they're entering a war zone. They need to be ready."

"Do you want your twins to be in a war zone?"

"Hell no, but they signed up: they should be told the gravity of the situation."

"That is true. I'll talk to Jack about it. I need you to listen to something. It's in Spanish, so a translation would be nice, as well."

"Ask the cowboy, then."

"It's from Talon, and I want to identify the speaker." Reaper growled. They entered the communication room quickly, and Lena smiled at Reaper. Even under the safety of his mask, Ana found feel his glaring scowl. "Please play it, Lena."

"Alright." The message replayed and Reaper growled.

"It means 'Turning off the lights.' It's Sombra: she killed comms in that area."

"Is she in the area, then?" Tracer asked hopefully.

"She'd be long gone. If she did that, she's expecting a tactical assault on the area, and she's not going to put herself in the middle of a warzone with all of us against her."

"So should we pull them out, Ana?"

"No. They went in, and they're going to get intel." Ana stated firmly. *But how did they know we would be sending someone there: a coincidence or leak?* "Gabriel, what do you think about changing the rendezvous point?" Reaper nodded in agreement.

"Pharah's good, but with two others and them expecting some kind of issue, it'd be better to move up the meeting. Do a week, not a month." Reaper walked out.

"He seems…either less aggressive or angrier."

"He's frustrated, that's all. Try to get a message to them about rendezvousing in a week instead of a month. I have to talk to Jack and Reinhardt…" Lena nodded in understanding, setting to work. Ana walked off to find Reinhardt. He was still training the kids.

"Reinhardt, do you mind if I speak with you?"

"Of course! Keep going!" Reinhardt stepped to the side, smiling at Ana. "How can I help you, Ana?!"

"Why aren't you pushing them farther? You know what Talon is capable of, just like I am."

"…They are less experienced than anyone I've ever trained before."

"Rein, they need to be ready. I know why you're not pushing them. This isn't like the crisis: they weren't volunteers and this isn't a world war. But it is a war, and if we don't teach them what they have to know, they will get hurt or even killed." Ana said firmly, hand grazing Reinhardt's shoulders. He glanced back.

"I know, mein Verlobter (Fiancée). I have trouble viewing this the same after what they did to Gabriel. He was a troublemaker, but not a monster. I don't want them to go through the same."

"I understand, more than you know." Ana winced, thinking about what they did to Widow. They had twisted her enough to make her kill Gerald. She didn't even think that was possible until Widowmaker shot out her eye. Ana shook her head clear. "But if we get them to understand now, it's less likely they will go through the same trouble. Alright?"

"Ja. You're going to talk to Jack now, aren't you?"

"Of course! He's the commander, after all, and he's been taking it easy on them as well." Ana gave Reinhardt a quick hug and walked off. *Maybe after this madness we can stop being engaged.* She found Jack in his office, punching his punching bag.

"I have an update, Jack." He paused, facing Ana. He looked nervous.

"Enter, Ana. Report."

"Sombra is blocking our communication with Pharah and the other 2. We're moving their retraction up to a week from now. Reinhardt's increasing the children's training."

"Ana, we're already training 2 of them before-"

"Young man, we are in a war. They need to be prepared to fight it." Jack sighed as Ana walked out before they could begin an argument. *When is that boy going to grow up and realize the world isn't going to protect them?*


	17. War

Angela barely managed to get Pharah out of harm's way, a bullet grazing Pharah's arm as they headed for cover. It had been 6 days now: in 20 hours, they would be picked up, and this nightmare would be over. They had been shot at, cut off from all communication, and they weren't even certain it was Lena Pharah talked with. Angela felt like she was back in the war again. Luckily, Bridgette wasn't as inexperienced as she expected: in fact, she was keeping up with Pharah and Mercy with few problems. Her constant questions did seem to get on Pharah's nerves, though, so she tended to ask Angela the questions instead. They got away from the sniper quickly, Pharah directing them behind a small hill to cover. As they changed camp locations to a valley behind a taller hill for the 30th time and Angela began fixing Pharah's newly shot arm, Bridgette asked,

"What was the war like?" Angela paused, glancing at Bridgette in confusion.

"Sit still: this will burn slightly." Pharah winced as the salve touched her small wound, but she didn't move. "Good. I'm going to bandage it, and it should be fine in at most 2 weeks."

"Understood."

"And Bridgette, you know what the war was like: I know Torbjorn wouldn't have left you in the dark about it, and I know for a fact Reinhardt told you several stories about the Crisis."

"No, I mean…Reaper mentioned some things that I'm confused about." Angela tightened, but continued patching up Pharah's arm. Pharah noticed her discomfort.

"Like what?"

"He said something about a hospital fire…and a lot of damage."

"He should keep out of things that aren't his business!" Angela's composure slipped, and in her anger, she completely cut off blood-flow to Pharah's arm with the bandages.

"Angela, that's too tight." Pharah stated calmly, shifting to relieve some of the pressure.

"ACH! Sorry, Pharah." Angela loosened it slightly.

"S-sorry, Dr. Zeigler. I didn't mean to bring up a sore subject."

"…It was war, Bridgette. You've been in battle, or at least seen Reinhardt in combat before, correct?"

"Yeah."

"War is like a battle that has been stretched for months and years. Your morals are questioned, and you are pushed farther than ever before. I slipped." Angela wiped tears away. "I did things I greatly regret, but I don't know if I would change my actions. I did what I had to do for my country. It's the reason I joined Overwatch: I didn't want someone else to have to make those choices."

"…I'm sorry for bringing up bad memories."

"No worries, Bridgette. Pharah, what did you find?" Angela asked, changing the subject.

"Not much. No locations of other bases, no suppliers. Whoever this Sombra is, she is clever. I did find this." Pharah lifted up a catalog. "It lists a few people that I believe are prisoners, and it lists your family, Bridgette. It's dated less than 2 weeks ago." Bridgette grabbed the catalog.

"…Julia's missing!"

"When did you last talk to her?"

"Just before we left…That means she's still alright!"

"Yes, but it means you have to stop contacting her. It puts her at risk." Pharah explained. Bridgette took a deep breath, then nodded.

"I understand." Angela sighed, almost yawning.

"Try to get some sleep-"

"I take first watch tonight. I can see you are tired, Dr. Zeigler." Pharah interrupted. Angela nodded in understanding.

"Good night." Angela laid down and was immersed in the war again. She groaned quietly, shifting around. She didn't sleep well, waking up several times. Bridgette woke her up to Angela's surprise.

"Pharah said I should take second watch so you could sleep."

"Oh…Danke." She sat up, watching over the camp in silence, rubbing her arms to keep warm. The night passed calmly, and all 3 were heading out to the extraction point before the sun had risen.

"So we're heading back now?"

"If the communication went through, yes." Pharah stated. "How is mom?"

"A little more tired, slightly slower, and much more persuasive than before." Angela chuckled.

"Isn't she like 70 now?" Bridgette asked.

"96." Pharah answered quickly, then she raised her finger to her mouth, looking around. Angela heard it next: a low rumbling sound of a plane. They ducked under the cover of a short hill, Pharah's eyes narrowing. "…clear. It's the Overwatch plane." The cargo doors opened, and all three boarded as soon as it landed. It took off as soon as they were inside.

"Hello, luvs! Glad to see you all in one piece!" Pharah paused.

"Is that you, Tracer? You sound different." The Egyptian walked up to the cockpit, and Angela sighed in relief. With only a single graze, she thought they handled it well. Bridgette yawned.

"I don't think I've been that stressed…ever!"

"You'll get adjusted to that feeling. It never really goes away." Angela sighed, yawning herself. *I wonder if they managed to find Genji? I hope he is alright after so long…* She rubbed her eyes, and buckled in. Looking over at Bridgette, she chuckled to see the young woman unconscious. *It drains you quickly, war. I hope it doesn't last as long as the Crisis, and it doesn't even come close to the body count.* Angela paused, thinking back. *We have Doomfist taken care of, a list of prisoners that Gabriel should help us identify, and Pharah back with us. Things seem to be looking up for once.* She frowned as her thoughts went back to Genji. *I hope Talon didn't get to him. I don't know if he could have handled it when he left. His letters imply he's safe, but he hasn't written in almost 2 years…don't worry about that, Angela! He can handle himself, and you have enough people to care for. He wouldn't want you worrying, anyways.* Angela took a deep breath. *Lesson 1: the only thing that matters in war is getting your team to survive it. Lesson 2, never sell out your team. Lesson 3, don't forget what others have sacrificed for you…*


	18. Second Impressions

Ana felt nervous as she waited for the plane to arrive. Pharah, Bridgette, Lena, and Angela were all heading back safely, but she hadn't seen her daughter in almost 20 years now, 5 of which Pharah had thought she was dead! She glanced at Widow, who was calmly standing beside her, waiting for them to arrive as well. Jack was on the other opening to debrief Angela away from everyone else.

"Did they survive?"

"Yes." Ana said shortly, not surprised Widow found out about the danger they were in.

"Hmm."

"You could at least pretend to care."

"Why waste the energy?" Widow walked away at that, and Ana barely managed to keep calm. That woman…what happened to the woman she had trained? The plane landed, and Ana shielded her eye casually, used to the launching and landing gusts of wind. Lena was the first one off, racing over to Jack. Angela was next, heading over to Jack as well. Pharah hopped off the plane calmly, looking around. Ana grunted quietly: She had grown up, but still looked like her little girl. Pharah locked eyes with her mother, and was suddenly hugging her.

"It's been ages, Mom!"

"Oh, I missed you…I'm so sorry for lying to you…" Ana held her daughter tightly, barely able to keep tears at bay.

"It's alright. I know why you did." Both soldiers regained composure, but had a look of happiness on their faces. Ana grinned.

"You're going to have to talk to me about what happened to you after Talon is gone."

"Deal." Ana noticed the bandage.

"What happened to you?"

"It's a graze. I couldn't get out of the way fast enough." Pharah dismissed.

"Well, that is a field patch. I'm checking that."

"Mother, I-" Ana shushed Pharah quickly.

"It's been 10 years: let me mother you."

"…Just today." Pharah submitted, making Ana very happy. *Just today, Ana. She's fully grown and can take care of herself. Oh, I missed so much…* Ana shook the sadness away: she had finally met her daughter once again, and that's all that mattered. She started off leading Pharah, but Pharah quickly took over, heading straight to the doctor's office.

"When did you learn where everything was?"

"I was practically raised here, Mom: just because I haven't been here since I was 8 doesn't mean I can't remember where everything is."

"That is true." Pharah entered the office calmly, sitting down on the chair as Ana got the supplies she needed to re-patch it. It didn't need it, but she wanted to do something. Pharah explained various missions she completed in Helix as Ana worked on it, Ana talking about various missions she had done for Overwatch while it was technically disbanded. After she finishing with the wound, the door opened.

"Oi, Angel…" Ana looked at Junkrat in surprise, Junkrat looking just as stunned. "…You ain't Angel."

"…Her name is Angela, and no, I am not. Can I help you?"

"…Do you know where I could find cellulose?"

"…The explosive?" Junkrat nodded eagerly. "It's not even sold in the states, Junkrat."

"It ain't? That's rubbish-oi, I know you!" Ana looked at Pharah, who seemed unsure what to do. Junkrat almost seemed excited to see her. "Mind if I look at some of those rockets you shot at me?"

"No!"

"Thanks!" Ana grabbed the Junker before he could run off. "Let go, Sheila!"

"She meant no, you can't look that them. How do you know each other?"

"Oh, we're friends! She shot a rocket at me in Egypt!"

"…I'm sorry?" Ana was having trouble understanding how on earth that made them friends.

"We're not friends, Junkrat." Pharah said hotly. "You blew up 30 citizens."

"They were bots!" Junkrat dismissed.

"Citizens."

"Oh, yeah? Well, then I'm sorry I saved 10 people from them!" He replied hotly. "Aiming weapons at folks, yet I'm the one who does something…what was I doing in here?" He paused, looking confused briefly. "Right, knife, knife…" He felt around his pants, then dropped a knife on the table. "Bye, Sheilas!" Ana frowned at the man racing off.

"…Would you explain?"

"He and his…companion, I suppose? Anyways, they got involved in a hostage situation. A remnant of Sektor was causing trouble, and so were they. Helix was called in. 50 citizens were involved: 30 were Omnics, 20 humans. Helix was ordered to being the Sektor members in, to get information, but we didn't know how many there were. Next thing I know, the whole buildings in ruins: 10 humans were dead from gunshots, and 10 humans with severe injuries. All of the Omnics were dead, and Junkrat and Roadhog were in the center of the whole thing."

"…He killed at least 30 civilians in Egypt?" Ana said softly. She knew they had killed a lot of people, but to hear Junkrat killed 30 in one sitting… Pharah nodded sadly.

"And he's the one with less blood on his hands. Tell me you just have them here to keep them away from everyone." Ana shook her head.

"They joined, but I had no idea they…"

"You can't trust them." Ana shook her head.

"They have done nothing for almost 10 years, and have had several opportunities to do something worse. Junkrat was even the one to do the investigation on the Switzerland Explosion! I can't just forget them being willing to help us fight Talon."

"Mother, you can't trust someone who killed so many just because they could."

"We don't know why he killed so many people, and I can't make assumptions. I'm not cutting out two people who could turn the entire battle because of some horrible things they have done. I have done things I regret, has have Angela and Reinhardt. I'm sure you have, too." Pharah looked away.

"…Mum, they didn't do it in the line of duty."

"I understand that, but they could have had their reasoning. I know I can't understand half of the things that man does, but I'm sure he has his reasons. I'll warn Jack and Gabriel-"

"Gabriel?!" Ana paused.

"…Jack didn't tell you."

"What do you mean, Gabriel? Gabriel is dead, right?" Ana winced.

"…Not exactly, Fareeha…"


	19. Codes

Angela was in the middle of explaining what happened when Junkrat appeared. "Oi, Angel?"

"Angela, and I'm in the middle of-" She began, but Junkrat interrupted her.

"Just a quick question, I swear! What are you supposed to do to make toast?" Angela paused.

"…Was?" Jack stared at the Junker.

"…Have you seen a toaster?"

"Yeah, who hasn't?" Jack tried not to reply in anger to the statement.

"You plug the toaster in…you put one slice of bread in each of the slots…and you press the button."

"Oh. Thanks!" Junkrat raced away.

"…I'm going to go make sure the base doesn't burn down…We'll finish the debrief later."

"Ja, that's a good idea…" Angela watched Jack walked after Junkrat, and she headed to her room. Hearing gunfire in her room, she frowned, opening the door. A small girl had a laptop open and was typing rapidly, wearing slacks and a tank.

"Get good!"

"…Who are you?" The girl jumped, facing Angela in surprise, shutting the laptop.

"…I'm Hana Song! The old guy told me this was Angela and my room, so I guess you're Angela?"

"Oh, sorry. I wasn't expecting you to be…" Angela hesitated, not wanting to be offensive. Hana smiled.

"No worries! I get that a lot. I hope you don't mind I set up so many posters." Angela took in all the video game, movie, and Overwatch posters plastered all around Hana's side of the room.

"Of course not. It's on your side." Angela waved off the nervous statement. She paused at seeing a Lucio poster. "You're a Lucio fan?"

"Oh, yeah! I own all his albums but the latest one: it sells out every time I try to get it!" Angela smiled.

"Would you like to meet with him?" Hana's eyes widened in excitement.

"I'd love to talk to him again!" Angela led her to Lucio's room, where she knocked quietly. Reinhardt opened the door.

"Hello, Reinhardt."

"Hallo!" waved at the large man. Reinhardt suddenly looked reddish. "Hello, Hana!"

"Hey! Did you enjoy my stream?" Reinhardt turned an even brighter red, and Angela grinned.

"Oh, so you like the new kind of entertainment?"

"I-it's research!" Reinhardt defended.

"Alright, no need to get defensive, Rein. Do you know where Lucio is?"

"He was talking to Junkrat!"

"Jamison. They wanted us to call them by their names." Angela reminded.

"Of course! Jamison!" Angela, not really wanting to talk to the Junker again, directed Hana to the cafeteria, then headed to the communication room. Zarya was working in it, with Widow watching her. Angela tightened.

"Hello, Widow."

"Bonjour, Angela." The silence grew stifling, and Widow walked away, apparently bored. Angela visibly relaxed.

"You should not let woman disturb you."

"…She's done a lot. How are things?"

"No communications worthwhile. Police investigated possible locations for us, nothing came of it. Woman contacted Lucio."

"Who?"

"…Satya." Angela frowned. Who was Satya? "Lucio was very upset from call, went to talk to Soldier. Nothing else of interest."

"Odd, I've never heard of Satya…Thank you, Zarya." Zarya stood, grabbing Angela before she ran off.

"Widow likes discomfort. Don't give her satisfaction." Angela smiled.

"Danke, but that's easier said than done." She walked off to find Jack talking on a phone with someone in his office.

"How did you get this number?" Angela waited in the doorway. "What do you mean, you know where we are?" His face turned pale. "…You don't?" Jack frowned. "…You have patterns that…hold on." He covered the speaker, looking at Angela. "Could you tell me what she's trying to explain? She's saying it in a code I don't understand, and you're pretty good at that." Angela nodded, taking the phone.

"I am Satya, former employee of Vishkar Industries. I have patterns that connect Katie with your bird of prey." Angela frowned. *Katie with a bird of…Talon, but who is Katie?* "The volts of electricity are ordered chaos." *Volts of electricity…Volskaya.*

"I understand. Can you arrive here shortly?"

"I can and will be doing so."

"Thank you. Goodbye." Angela hung up. "Whoever that woman is, she has a connecting point between Talon and Volskaya. I told her to come here." Soldier frowned.

"How did she find us, though?"

"I'm not sure: we'll have to wait until she arrives to ask." Lucio came in, looking flustered.

"What did that woman want?"

"She has information connecting Volskaya to Talon." Lucio scowled.

"She's with Volskaya." Angela paused. *That explains why he was displeased…*

"That means we just-" Angela interrupted before Jack burst a blood vessel.

"If she was still with Volskaya, she would have told them where we were and arrived with an army to get rid of us. We don't judge until she has arrived, which won't be for quite a while. 2 weeks, in fact." Lucio took a deep breath.

"…She didn't sound like she usually does, either. Flustered, even." Angela frowned.

"Do you…know her?"

"Yeah, she was the head designer of the Volskaya group that tried to renovate my home. Almost succeeded, too, but we managed to stop them. It's weird. She's usually very composed. I'd even call her cold, if I hadn't met Widowmaker." Angela frowned. *Are we talking about the same woman who was so focused on our conversation? No hesitation, no question in her voice at all…she did sound in a hurry, though: maybe he misread her voice.*

"Alright. We don't do anything regarding this Satya until she arrives. Dismissed, Lucio." Lucio nodded.

"Okay. I'll try to keep an open mind with her, but no promises." He raced off.

"Ana's going to be handling the interviews." Angela rapidly shook her head.

"That is a very, very bad idea with how personal this is to her in particular. Widow did shoot her eye out."

"She's the best interrogator we have."

"No, she is the one you trust the most. Pharah is the best."

"Pharah's a kid."

"She is an adult. I feel as though you have forgotten you are 53." Soldier winced.

"Yeah…alright, Pharah handles it then. Have you heard from Genji?" Angela frowned at the sudden mention.

"No…why?"

"I recently got an odd message. Here." He fumbled out his phone, scowling. Angela sighed, taking from him and following his directions to the message.

"Wir sein da." Angela paused, then smiled.

"It's Genji. He found someone to come along with him here. I'm not sure when he'll arrive, but that sounds hopeful."

"Let's hope it doesn't lead to more trouble."


	20. Interrogations

Ana bit her tongue as Pharah sat across from Mortica. The interview was declared over, and she ran off, tears streaming. *Well, at least we won't have to go through an interview with her again after that display. All of the children are done. It's Gabriel and Widow's turn.* Gabriel slammed the door closed, and Ana winced: the wraith was furious.

"What the actual &#! , Pharah? You made both of them cry!" Ana shrugged: she would have responded the same way if Pharah had been made to cry.

"Sit down. I was gentle with them. I'm hooking you up to the lie detector." Ana scowled. *Polygraphs. Virtually useless other than a deterrent from lying.* Pharah hooked it up, having some difficulty as Reaper refused to remove any of his clothing. "I know you're a Talon agent."

"Was. I not anymore." Pharah clearly didn't believe him, and Ana couldn't blame her. Someone had to know something: how else had the information been leaked?

"How long did you work for Talon?"

"9 years and 3 months, 6 months after the explosion." Ana frowned at the oddly specific time stamp.

"Did you know you were working with Sombra?"

"Yes, but I didn't know just how guilty she was." His low growl was obvious: Ana instantly believed he wasn't the spy. She forced herself to distrust him: someone could easily fake a growl.

"Why did you supposedly quit?"

"I found out what she had done. I overheard a conversation I shouldn't have and quit." He seemed to be getting either calmer or angrier: Ana really couldn't tell with the mask on.

"How are you alive? When someone really quits a terrorist group, they get killed."

"1, it's hard to kill someone who's half dead already. 2, it's hard to kill a person who is blowing up your base. 3, it's impossible to kill someone when they kill you first." *Fair enough.*

"How many people have you killed?" Ana and Reaper both paused. *That wasn't part of the interview. Why would she-no, Pharah, don't do that to yourself.* Reaper faced the one-way glass and said,

"If Arach and Mortica are in there, get them out. I don't want them to hear it." *Odd that was his only objection.…* He turned back and answered, "375,418 including the deaths I had a part in but not full responsibility. Personally, 5,642." Ana quietly choked. *That's…that's…how could he have…* Pharah's eyes widened, but she remained in control. Reaper's voice had become unreadable for the experienced spy, and she was too busy trying get her emotions back under wraps to try and read it.

"Where are the Talon bases?"

"You have a map?" Pharah gave him an atlas. Reaper began circling bases. "This works. One here in Wisconsin. One here in Guantanamo. One somewhere in Northern Ireland. One here in Siberian Russia. One somewhere in China. One somewhere in Korea. One here in Australia and one here in South Africa. There are others, but I haven't heard about or been to them." Ana blinked slowly, calm once again as he circled generic locations of bases.

"Are you hiding anything from this interrogation?" Pharah said flatly.

"Other than the fact I really want to rip your head off for scaring Arach and Mortica, no."

"Commander Morrison will talk to you about any plan to attack. Based on what you just told me, you want first dibs on Sombra. Tell Widowmaker." Gabriel had an audible smile as he said,

You assume correctly." He walked out, and Pharah's head turned to face the glass. Ana could hear her daughter's heart breaking at the knowledge of all the blood on her favorite babysitter's hands. *Stay strong, my Fareeha…The battle has yet to begin.* Widow came in, face neutral. Ana was remined by the way she calmly strode in of when she first interrogated the skillful sniper herself. She pushed the memory back. Pharah said stiffly,

"Take a seat. I'm rigging up the lie detector for you as you are a Talon agent."

"Use the right verb tense, little girl." She stated calmly. Pharah didn't correct herself.

"How long did you work for Talon?"

"11 years or so." She said casually. Ana noted the calm nature of the sniper. She was almost too calm for this not to be rehearsed, but Ana had experienced the sniper's misdirection before, and didn't buy anything she said.

"Did you know you were working for Sombra?"

"Non, I didn't. I found out about 5 months ago." The polygraph didn't go off, but Ana tapped on the glass: she knew such a talented woman wouldn't have not known that fact.

"You're lying."

"It may have been a year or so. I didn't question where my orders came from." Ana still felt as though Widow was lying, and she knew Pharah felt the same, but she didn't press.

"Why did you supposedly quit?"

"I was tired of being the bad guy." Ana frowned at the oddly phrased answer. *Widow has never claimed to be the bad guy before. What is going on with this?*

"How are you alive?" Widowmaker shrugged.

"I sniped everyone before leaving the compound." Ana could believe that: she was skilled enough to do that, after all.

"How many people have you killed?"

"I don't know or care. Around a hundred thousand, I think. It doesn't matter, though." Ana felt a twinge of guilt. She had trained a sniper, who had used her talent to kill innocents and peace advocates. It was partially her fault. She stopped herself. *Amelie chose this path, not me. I may have given her the tools: she chose to use them cruelly.*

"Where are the Talon bases?" Widowmaker smirked.

"I never asked or questioned orders, as long as I got to feel alive once again."

"Do you know where a Talon base is?" Widow's smirk seemed to become even more noticeable. Ana swallowed the urge to go inside and deck the woman herself.

"Not at the moment. I might remember later. After all, my memory isn't very good."

"Very well. Have you withheld any information?"

"Of course I have, but only the things you don't need to know about." Pharah scowled.

"Both you and Reaper will be questioned again, Widow."

"I look forward to it."


	21. Questioning Reasons

Angela frowned at Lucio seeming very stressed. He'd been oddly stressed all week. Angela pulled him to the side. "Lucio, why are you so on edge?"

"How can't I be, with Vishkar coming?"

"Satya's not working with Vishkar. Haven't you seen the news? They're asking for any information as to where she went."

"Yes, I have. I've also seen how they work. I'm trying to give her a chance, but…they tried to take my home, Angela." Angela sighed.

"I understand, really. She'll be here tomorrow. How is training with the kids going?" Angela tried to shift his attention elsewhere, hoping that would work in defusing his nerves.

"Great. Mortica's actually start to catch up physically, and Locarno's finally gotten it through his head not everyone knows what he knows."

"I wonder who got him to understand that."

"Zarya, after pretty much smacking him across the head with it." Lucio sighed.

"He didn't get that from you, did he?"

"No, no. It's from his…" Lucio trailed off, looking hurt briefly. "Mom. Sorry, I don't usually talk about her."

"Of course, but I must admit, I'm a little confused. He's…"

"18, and I'm 36. He was born when I was 18." Lucio explained. "I fell in love, married her, after he was born…Terrorists. I think it was Talon: no one ever took the credit." Lucio shook his head, a small smile forming as he returned to his casual self. "Anything I can do to help you out?"

"Why did you join Overwatch when we're very illegal?"

"So is being a street performer and a revolutionist. I can do good here that I can't do back home." Agnela nodded.

"Thank you for telling me about yourself." Lucio raced off, leaving Angela alone in her thoughts. She headed to the Junker's room, knocking quietly.

"Come in." She did, peering inside before fully opening the door. Mako was the only one in the oddly clean room. Well, only half clean room: the other half was completely trashed. "How can I help you, Dr. Zeigler?"

"I wanted…you don't sound Australian." Angela stated.

"…I'm from New Zealand by birth. I moved there before the Crisis."

"Oh…why don't you and Jamison like Omnics?" Mako's eyes flashed in rage, but he didn't react otherwise, looking away quickly. "They really aren't any different-"

"That's none of your business, doctor. You can leave." He sounded hostile, and Angela complied quickly, not wanting him to get actually violent. She went to see Mei next. The scientist was working on the electric unit.

"Dr. Zhou, could I speak with you?"

"Oh, Angela! Of course." The small woman pulled her hand out of the circuits with a smile.

"Why did you agree to rejoin Overwatch?" Mei frowned, looking the doctor over with a puzzled look.

"…Why are you asking that? Why wouldn't I rejoin with all the good we did, and all the people we saved?" Angela didn't reply. So many people died in the explosions, the attacks, the wars. What was she even doing here, and what did she hope to understand from asking why everyone else joined? "Angela, are you alright?"

"I'm just…no, Mei. No, I'm not." Angela leaned against the wall, sighing heavily. "What am I doing here? I understand we can do good, but…there are 4 people who don't care about Overwatch, almost a quarter of the people here, 3 more who are supposed to be dead…I don't know what Overwatch can do anymore." The short woman patted the doctor's shoulders, then grabbed her hand.

"Let me show you what we can do."

"A-alright?" She let Mei lead her away into her room, where several posters and pictures were scattered around the room, and trophies and medals were on the other side.

"Oh, Lena is my roommate: she's a bit messy, sorry."

"I don't mind, but what is in here?" Mei fished around her desk and pulled out a small box.

"This is my reward box. It's what I could find from various things. 'Overwatch saved my daughter.'" Mei began reading each of the letters. Angela listened as hundreds of people from everywhere in the world thanked Overwatch for relief efforts, peace talks, rescue missions, and everything in between.

"…I didn't even know that many people had been affected…"

"You don't hear about the good we did: you hear the bad. That's how history works: you only remember the bad. But look at this all: look at how many people we helped in just 10 years! Imagine what we can do with even more time, Angela!" The excited woman looked at the doctor. "Just imagine how we could make the world a better place. That's why I joined: not for revenge or to fight terrorists: I joined to help people." Angela rubbed her eyes, looking at the large box filled with thank you letters.

"…Thank you, Mei. I guess I was feeling overwhelmed with everything that seemed to be going wrong."

"I get overwhelmed, too. Things are different, but we can make just as much of a difference as before if we try!"

"…Mei, where you ever approached by anyone?"

"Approached? What do you mean?"

"To join another organization."

"No, I wasn't. Zarya said she was. Something about Katya Volskaya not being who Zarya thought she was, I think." Angela frowned, then connected everything.

"Thankyou,Mei,I'vegottogo."

"Okay, good luck!" Angela entered the training room quickly, finding Zarya in the middle of a match with Locarno.

"Time!" She called, in a rush. Zarya caught the boy's fist.

"Da?"

"Zarya, I need to ask you some questions about Katya Volskaya." Zarya paused, catching another one of Locarno's fist. "It's important."

"Alice, you spar Locarno. Mortica, Arach: you spar too. I'll be back." Zarya stepped outside with Angela. "What about Miss Volskaya?"

"Do you know if she had any ties to Talon? Or Sombra?"

"Da, she does." Angela's eyes widened.

"Do you know any specifics?"

"Nyet. We stopped talking after she lied to me about why I was going after Sombra."

"You met Sombra?"

"Da. Very small, but quite able in a fight." Zarya explained. "It wasn't a very close interaction, though. Only enough to make me question Miss Volskaya."

"Thank you Zarya! You just gave me some information to help both Lucio and the commanders to not worry about Satya as much!"

"Happy to help?" Zarya called as Angela raced away.


	22. Orderly Fashion

Ana was waiting outside the base to meet this Satya. After Angela explained that Katya Volskaya was definitely involved with Talon somehow, Ana was put on introduction duty as Pharah interrogated Widow and Reaper again. She waited patiently for someone to make their presence known. Her sniper rifle was prepared just in case Angela's optimistic idea didn't come true. In the distance, she spotted someone starting to appear. It was several more minutes before Ana could make out it was a woman, even more before she was aware the glinting of light wasn't from a weapon, but a bionic arm. She could finally make out details after 15 minutes of waiting. She was wearing a blue dress that was way too clean to be travelled in, black boots, and had a meticulously clean, left metal arm. Her hair was straight and black, and she strode with purpose. Ana kept her rifle trained on the woman, not trusting someone who appeared so clean, she practically shimmered. The woman paused, making Ana tighten her grip. She brushed off her shoulder, and continued walking. Ana's grip loosened slightly. The woman stopped 70 yards from Ana, looking the elderly woman evenly. Ana noticed how out of place she seemed in the desert: a meticulously careful woman with high heels and futuristic technology. "State your name, rank, and reason for being here." Ana stated firmly, lowering her rifle to her side but making sure the woman knew she was in control.

"My name is Satya Vaswani, I have no rank, and my purpose for coming here is to communicate with someone to remove Vishkar Industries from the area." Ana noticed how carefully she spoke, but her voice almost shook when she said Vishkar.

"And why do you wish to do so?"

"They lied to me." The answer was kept short. Ana's eye furrowed.

"Explain."

"They said I was creating a better world. Instead, I was allowing chaos into people's lives that did not deserve such a fate. They work with terrorists, and they are terrorists." Satya looked around. "…Why is Lucio located in such a desolate area?" *So she doesn't know who we are: she only knows we're hunting Talon.*

"How did you receive Lucio's number?" Satya remained silent for a while.

"…A boy gave it to me. I am not sure who it was. I was located in Illios when he did so."

"Could you give me a description, then?"

"He was Japanese and black hair. He didn't seem pleased. He had an Omnic that glowed green close by him." *Genji was in Illios, then. And if someone with him gave her any kind of number, there was a reason.* Ana's rifle lowered, and she sighed.

"Come inside. You must be tired." Satya followed her obediently, sitting down after brushing off the seat she was offered. "How are you so clean, Satya? You are quite a long way from India."

"I'm afraid I do not understand your question."

"How did you manage to keep the dust away?" Satya blinked slowly.

"…I did not, though I wish I had. May I bathe before we continue our conversation?"

"Of course." Satya began to walk away when Lucio nearly bumped into her. Both visibly tightened.

"…Hello, Lucio Correia dos Santos."

"…Hey, Symmetra." Ana saw the woman's lips press together, her hands push against her hips as if she was fighting her instincts.

"May I pass?" She said stiffly.

"Sure." He stepped to the side, and Satya quickly moved forward. Lucio visibly loosened up as she disappeared.

"Can I help you, Lucio?"

"I was trying to find Lena. Soldier wanted to talk to her outside of a meeting."

"I'm sure she found him. You clearly aren't pleased about our decision about Satya."

"I shouldn't let it bother me. She wasn't even directly involved with what they did in my home town, but…"

"It's alright to be unsettled." They heard a grunt in the hallway, and Ana got up faster than Lucio could react, but both arrived at the scene at the same time. Locarno had Satya against the wall, fire in his eyes.

"Sua p***! Você queimou tudo! (You b****! You burned everything!)" Satya seemed almost horrified at the surprisingly strong young man, too surprised to struggle. Lucio yanked Locarno away roughly.

"Cuidado com a língua! (Watch your language!) What are you doing, Locarno?"

"She killed mom!" Satya didn't move, catching her breath, as did Ana as she processed the statement.

"Satya, please continue onwards." Satya hesitated, but stayed.

"I wasn't aware of what they did." Both Lucio and the struggling teen paused, looking at the suddenly quiet woman. She almost seemed sad, if it hadn't been for her perfectly straight posture and impeccably clean clothing. "I wasn't aware of the fires they caused, or the violent methods they used. I only knew they helped people. Then I discovered they didn't, that it was all a lie for a perfect world that would never exist. I am sorry for what they did." She folded her hands over her stomach, looking at both Brazilians, who had stopped all movement in surprise.

"…You didn't know?" Locarno asked. His voice grew. "How could you not know what they did?! HOW COULD YOU-" Lucio covered Locarno's mouth, anger flashing. Ana was surprised at how drastically different he seemed with true rage in his blood.

"You swore. I told you how I feel about that!"

"She is a-" Lucio firmly covered Locarno's mouth again.

"Go. Back. To. Training. Now." Locarno grumbled, but nodded in defeat. It was the first time Lucio had acted in discipline towards the boy. Ana watched in surprise as Lucio offered his hand, smiling warmly. "I guess we were both wrong, huh?"

"…Pardon?"

"You Vishkar do know what it means to be free." Satya paused, then smiled warmly. It broke the firm nature of the woman, and Ana could finally see past the strictness. The woman was hurting more than she would ever reveal.

"And you didn't steal from them: they stole from you." They shook hands, and Satya said swiftly, pulling away rather abruptly, "I am in great need of a shower. Afterwards, I will explain what I discovered at Vishkar." Ana nodded in agreement, and watched Lucio direct the woman around. *So the one who will have the most animosity towards her isn't Lucio, but Locarno.*


	23. Letter

Angela opened the door, allowing the woman that could only be described as sterile came in. Ana followed in suit, with Jack and Gabriel waiting. "Satya Vaswani." She paused at seeing the commanders.

"…You aren't Lucio's assistants."

"No." Gabriel growled.

"You contacted Lucio believing he could take down the entirety of Volskaya?"

"I did." Jack was stunned, and Angela picked up the questioning once Gabriel remained silent.

"You said you had information about Volskaya interacting with Talon?"

"Yes, I do, as well as Vishkar Industries. Once I discovered such…inhumane secrets, I fled." The woman shuddered, then held up a small flash drive. "All the information I gathered is located on this. I was not sure what to do with it, so I tried to locate one of the most avid protestors against Vishkar I knew of: Lucio Correia dos Santos. I heard he was preforming in Illios, so hurried there. The concert had already concluded, so I was attempting to locate his next concert. Unfortunately, I was unable to, but I did locate a Shambali monk temple there to rest. While there, a Japanese man with black hair approached me and asked why I was there. Near him was an Omnic that glowed green." *Genji?* "I assume they were together, as the man kept looking towards the Omnic." She paused, taking a breath. "He gave me a number and address after I explained the situation briefly, telling me to call. I planned what to say in case it was a trap, and I called. It was Lucio's number. The rest you are aware of." Ana took the drive.

"I will give this to Winston." She left at that. Angela asked, trying not to get her hopes up,

"Did the Omnic have a sword?"

"Three in a Japanese fashion. Do you know who it was?"

"Yes, I do. Did he tell you anything?"

"He asked me to give this to a Doctor Angela Ziegler. Is that you?" She held up a letter.

"Yes, I am Angela. The Omnic's name is Genji. I'm not sure who the other man is, but thank you very much." Reaper growled softly, but Angela didn't care at the moment. 2 years of not hearing anything, and she finally receives a letter from him. "May I be excused?"

"Yes, we can handle the rest."

"You can handle the rest." Reaper left before Jack could argue, and Angela wasn't far behind. She closed her door, checking to make sure Hana wasn't around, and opened it carefully, noticing Genji's shaky handwriting wrote 'Angela' on the outside of the envelope. She read it carefully.

'Dear Angela,

I am sorry I haven't written in a few years. It has been quite hectic in my life. As you are aware, I contacted my brother and the meeting didn't go as planned.' She chuckled at the understatement: the two had gotten into a fight almost instantly. '2 years ago, he invited me to talk. We have together since then.'

"Good for you, Genji. I know how much he meant to you."

'The woman who delivered this to you is quite insistent on saving the world. I gave her the address of the Colorado base, as I believe Commander Morrison would have suggested going there. Yes, I am aware of our commander's living status: one attempted to recruit my brother for Talon, and the other approached me several years ago for information. I hope she will be able to join Overwatch. We are currently trying to find someone else, but once we find him, we will be joining you at Colorado. Do not worry: I will be fine, and we will arrive there soon.

With love,

Genji.

P.S: I cannot wait to see you again.' Angela hugged the letter tightly, sighing in relief. *He found his brother. We have information, and are forming a plan to take down Talon quickly. Widow and Gabriel still can't be trusted, but they are at least on our side for now. Things are going to work, and Talon is going to pay for everything they did. They will pay for tearing apart my family.*

"Angela, luv!" Angela jumped as Lena nearly race into the wall from sheer speed.

"What's wrong?"

"A car's coming in the base! It'll be here in about 10 minutes!" Angela blinked slowly. *A car?*

"Who's in the car?"

"I don't know, but a car's coming, and we don't have anyone out on missions right now, and no one was out in town, and-" Angela gestured Lena to calm down.

"Slow down. What time is it?"

"The time? Everyone but you, me, Ana, the commanders and Jessie are asleep!" Angela sighed. *That didn't answer my question…* She looked at her clock: midnight. Where had the time gone? She stood up.

"Lena, get the commanders in the hanger. I'll be there shortly." Lena nodded in understanding, and raced off. *Let's hope it's not the military or Talon. I don't want to pack up again.* She headed into the hanger to find Ana, Reaper and Soldier already there with a nervous Lena. The car rolled in the open garage, and Angela realized why no one knew who it was: the windows were tinted black. Reaper raised a gun, more annoyed than usual. The door slowly opened, and a familiar voice said,

"Yo, Angela." The gun lowered, and Angela paused. Jack seemed annoyed this time. Genji climbed out of the driver's seat, rubbing his head nervously. "It took longer than I expected to hunt him down." Another man exited the passenger seat, looking annoyed. His hair was long, tied in the back with a ribbon, and hands locked onto a bow as if he was extremely distrustful of them all. Angela didn't recognize him, but knew he had to be Genji's brother. Genji didn't have time to continue before Lena had him in a hug.

"I didn't know you were coming!"

"My communicator was damaged: I couldn't let anyone know. This is Hanzo, my brother. Hanzo, meet Lena Oxton, Angela Zeigler, Commander Morrison, Ana Amari, and-"

"We've met." Reaper said bluntly before walking away. Jack offered his hand.

"Jack Morrison." Hanzo refused his hand, looking the man over.

"…Hanzo Shimada." Jack let his hand drop.

"Why did you show up so late?"

"Traffic, Lena." Genji stated. Hanzo looked over Angela, and she felt as if she was being inspected for something.

"H-hello." He bowed stiffly.

"Thank you for helping my brother."

"Oh, um…" She didn't know what to say, so said, "Who is the one you were looking for?" Hanzo opened the back seat, saying something in Japanese. A teenager was sitting there, twirling knives. He replied with something, and Hanzo yanked him out. Jack winced.

"What did he say?"

"Something a kid shouldn't be able to say. Ever." Angela didn't press the commander.

"This is Gin." The teen looked over them, then muttered something. "English."

"F*** you all."


	24. Caution

Ana was horrified, and Hanzo was about to come unglued at the boy. Genji looked down at the small teen and scolded him. The boy rolled his eyes, crossing his arms in annoyance. Ana had never seen such disrespect. No, she'd seen it once: Gabriel in his earlier days. Jack just stood stunned into silence. Hanzo and Gin began a heated argument, and Genji looked at the 3 people. "…He's not very polite. Sorry."

"That is more than not polite." Ana spoke, looking at the boy with the firmest eyes she could muster. "I know you can understand me. If you do not show some respect, I will slap you."

"Sure. Then we'll see which hurts more." He stated, spinning his knife.

"Who is this boy?" Ana questioned. Hanzo got into another argument with him.

"We…It's a long story that I'd rather not get into." Genji stated. Ana nodded in understanding.

"Welcome back, Genji. We actually got a room ready for you earlier. Your brother can stay there as well. This boy is going into a separate room." Ana looked down at him. He didn't make eye contact. "Come with me." He rolled himself off the wall, walking with the sniper. "You made quite the entrance." He muttered something in Japanese. "Tell me: why did Genji bring you here?"

"How should I know?" He spat. "They never tell me anything." Ana noticed he kept flipping the knife.

"Do you know how to use that, or is it just a habit?"

"Both." He sounded somewhat proud of that.

"Where did they find you?"

"Japan."

"Where you ever in Illios?"

"Once."

"When were you there?"

"Month or two ago." Ana sighed. *He's being very difficult.*

"What made Genji bring you here?"

"I don't know."

"You speak English very well." Gin shrugged. They arrived at the room. "Do not leave this room until someone comes for you."

"Or what? You'll try to kill me?"

"Or I'll lock you in a room with someone who doesn't take sass very well." He shrugged again, and Ana closed the door, sighing in relief. *Now there are 5 children. Are we beginning a Daycare? I wouldn't mind if they weren't such a troublemakers.* She found Genji and Hanzo in their room having a subdued conversation. She knocked.

"Come in." She did, seeing the room only had one bed.

"Do you need another bed, boys?"

"No, we're alright, Ana. What's wrong?"

"I'm surprised you brought a child to a soon-to-be war zone."

"Trust me: he may be a child, but it's better he is here than with Talon." Ana paused.

"Talon was attempting to recruit him?" Hanzo nodded, stating,

"He is very skilled. I have been watching him myself."

"But what interest is a young boy to you?" Genji and Hanzo looked at each other.

"…He is a Shimada, Ana."

"…He's a blood relative. Alright. We'll ask him later about joining the other children in training."

"Other children?" Ana sighed, sitting down on the bed. Hanzo seemed just as surprised.

"It seems as though several Overwatch members tried to start a family. There were 4 children that were kidnapped by Talon to blackmail some of us. They escaped, and are here now. They wanted to help us fight Talon, so we're training them."

"…Blackmail who?"

"Reaper, Soldier, Lucio, and Widowmaker, to some extent."

"…Then they are much worse than I thought." Genji stated sadly. Ana scowled.

"You have no idea. They took Lena's friend, Torbjorn and Bridgette's family, attempted to take several family members of other Overwatch members, and they caused the Switzerland explosion." Genji jumped, looking at Ana in surprise. Hanzo was just as shocked, but not nearly as mortified as Genji appeared.

"They…they caused all of that?!"

"Yes." Genji swore in Japanese, and Hanzo muttered something under his breath. "It appears Gin isn't the only one who curses, boys."

"Yes, but we-or at least I-am not nearly as frequent."

"I am not as frequent as him either, Genji!" Ana chuckled at the arguing brothers. It seemed so ordinary, it was almost jarring. After everyone being so nervous, it was nice to see normal interactions. Genji sighed, the arguing dying away. Hanzo asked, "What is the plan?"

"We don't have one yet. Widow is being difficult with information, and Reaper simply doesn't know enough to be helpful. We have everyone we can recruit, so that's something we know. We also know the main target: Sombra, the woman in charge. If we can manage to take her out, the organization will crumble from the inside, and most of the blackmail will vaporize. We just need locations. We need Widowmaker's information."

"Isn't she in Overwatch?"

"No. She is using us to get to Talon. Until she realizes she needs our numbers to take Talon down, we are stuck."

"So, we have the number of allies, the target, and the mission. We're waiting for the last piece of the puzzle." Hanzo summarized. Ana nodded, then asked,

"Aren't the Shimada's gone? I thought you and your brother were the only ones left." Both shifted, looking at each other.

"After Genji…I took Gin to a friend's business. Few people are even aware he is a Shimada at all."

"…Gin would have been just born. You took a baby from your clan and gave it to a friend?"

"Not exactly…" Hanzo muttered. Ana's eyes narrowed. Genji took a deep breath.

"I never could get away with lying to you, Ana. The truth is, Gin is one of our sons. We…don't know whose son he is, though." Ana's eyes widened slightly. *That explains the attitude and the avoiding of explaining.*

"Genji was engaged to her in love. I was engaged to her in duty." Hanzo explained farther. "…He was born, Genji…I couldn't bring him to the clan, so I left him with a friend."

"Alright. I won't tell anyone. It's an odd situation, that for certain, but I've heard odder. Back to the matter at hand, Talon will pay for trying to hurt so many of us. They will pay for costing so many lives, and they will pay for taking our family away." All three of them nodded in agreement, and Ana stood up. "Try to rest. I'm sure everyone will want to meet with you in the morning. I take over training next week, so I'll handle Gin's introduction. And both of you?" They looked at the woman. "…I'll be watching over you all. No one is going to die. No one." Ana knew she couldn't promise that, but she had to try. She had to try for everyone's sakes.


End file.
